Confessions of a Non-Political Man

By Michael Buergermeister

"Confessions of a Non-Political Man" is a book of comic poetry "full of Poundian energy and learning" (Gabriel Rosenstock). It uses the principle of chance and applies it to the curious world of social media. It aims, in a humorous and playful fashion, to surprise, intrigue and amuse. Strongly rooted in the Modernist tradition of Pound, Eliot, Cummings and Ginsberg the poetry ricochets down the centuries and touches on many languages, cultures and works of literature. It mixes these ingredients with social media postings and produces a contemporary sound and energy that is quite unique.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Buergermeister
• Release date: Sep 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463501405

Michael Buergermeister

Born in Vienna in 1967 Michael Buergermeister was brought up in London. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Vienna and Max Reinhardt Seminar. A writer, filmmaker and video artist he lives and works in Vienna, Austria.

Book preview

Confessions of a Non-Political Man

by Michael Buergermeister

Copyright 2018 Michael Buergermeister

Smashwords Edition

1

i walked into the sacred city

with a haughty demeanor

a pleasingly musical speech

and hymned elegiac lines

of how

walt whitman

sent good vibes

mornings and evenings

to streets under trees

and how

dunce the second

followed

dunce the first

in an idiot sandwich

short and sweet

elle va bientot avoir le redoutable privilege

d'etre la premiere agent

gott bestraft die oesterreicher

qu'en pensez-vous?

nestbeschmutzer

du schwein

braunen schwall

apologia di fascismo

he doesn't see my secret glance

what thoughts do I have of you tonight?

are you my angel?

garcia lorca

mighty father

smithfield muse

son of chaos and eternal light

fanfare unidimensionnelle

on a deja trouve le moyen

je suis curieux

am i the only one who felt the earthquake?

am i the only one who looked up at the moon?

some god got hold of me

in vain i cried and cursed

a world of bald white days

sizzled in blue volts

the night snapped out of sight

i banged down the ward with

names stacked on a list

and held the eel of science by the tail

dullness, jove, and fate

a desert prophet of

saturnian age

an age of

extremity

an age

of lead

brought misery

knocking at my door

pallas issued from the thunderer's head

and ruled, in native anarchy, my mind

laborious, heavy, blind

gross was her sire

a vulturous boredom

the strangest sea

hungry fatigue

perched on my soul

dean, drapier, bickerstaff, or gulliver

underfed, unwashed, hair crawling

a lot of regrets, but i don't care

cervantes bade britannia sleep

a shameless fair idiot

condemned history

and kindled the lamp of love

supermarket of

cultural annihilation

deliberate disappearance

busy, bold

dullness never dies

an opportunity to

meet in an elevator

laughing and shaking in rabelais'

easy chair magnifying mankind

or praising the court

the penumbra of roots

the chillest land

praying to all the gods and high powers

born in operatic atmosphere

a goddess expressed her dream

la costituzione italiana

disposizione transitoria

human contingencies

lost america

gratitude and humility

kept so many warm

salvation was once real

fate in her dotage shops for images

sings tunes down open corridors

demonstrates her presence

sa propre image

la cire molle

2

copper chains unbind

brainless brothers

old empires disappear

in wild winds

the caves of poverty and poetry 

conceal the vulgar eye

the black waters of lethe

howl in chaos

dying is an art

lucifer is weary

of dark, deep annihilation

the slow conformity of the mind

the death of the spirit

the curse of the soul

each decade scorches to the root

breath that blows cold

don't be afraid to suffer

3

wind of violence

a cake of soap

my sour breath

my knees

my heart of stone

all gestures

that will last

tear-bright

word or touch

unwrap my hand

o blessed one

poetic feet

i turn and burn

4

nature's stage

my body and its bones

all fall lame

shapes and fires

let not the hours pass by in the dark

tremble and part

solitary vocation

stacks of candles

heavy the earth's own weight

two roads diverge

even the small trees

suffer the atrocity of sunsets

beyond a black recess

a roll of

smoke


a circle of light is marked by fire

5

the king of syracuse

amphitryon's son

now diminished and flat

crawls by slowly

yet still glories in zeus' descent

prudent

with body divine

occasionally he dances wildly 

in his native night

he sacrifices oxen

with the fruits of dull heat

is purified by the flames

yet remains terrified

of the dark blood

6

monster-breeding

charon pulls his ferry

by the merciless moon

his fear nerve dead

easy prey to

demagogic tricks

in