After Again:
Wise Up - Aimee Mann
Landed - Ben Folds
Sundress - Ben Kweller
No Room To Bleed - Ben Lee
Miss Misery - Elliott Smith
Smoke - Ben Folds Five
Times Like These - Foo Fighters
Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
Let It Fall Apart - Helio Sequence
The Funeral - Band of Horses
follow through - Hotel Lights
Girl In The War - Josh Ritter
Paper Boats - Nada Surf
My Winding Wheel - Ryan Adams
Bruised - The Bens
I Will Remain - Old 97’s
Chicago Promenade - Jason Isbell
The El - Rhett Miller
On My Own - Stellastarr*
Turn Of The Century - Pete Yorn

On September 3, 2008, I visited Chicago, IL for my job. Laura Lionello (formerly of ReallyBIGShow.org) took me to the Heartland Cafe to read. I read three pieces: “In this good dream we were slow fucking on the beach…”, “It’s going down…” and “You are Mary Steenburgen…” Please visit www.adambresson.org for more poetry and writing. Hope you enjoy!

I want to have now
this table
these drinks
the stale smoke in the air

I want to crawl
into the wall
rest against the low hum
of the air conditioner ducts
and eyeball her lips blind
till the debris
layers a permanent
metallic taste
on my lips
drawing deep breaths
until the roof caves in

So we leave
calling each other by name
maybe even embrace
on the way to the car
where I take pills
to instill the fear of god
dry pills that cling to
my stomach lining six months
down the throat

But I’m still stuck
in the wall
sucking up the damp air
and praying for rain
praying for snow
© Doug Dvorkin

On August 30, 2008, I was invited to read a poem by Doug Dvorkin at Ron Dvorkin’s Barnes ‘N Noble reading. It was a special evening where over 30 poets read Doug’s poems. I read Doug Dvorkin’s poem “Christmas Eve At Denny’s…” Please visit www.adambresson.org for more poetry and writing. Hope you enjoy!

You didn’t fight for this:
The thick branches of independence,
A woman’s right to make 30% less,
Suffrage a hole to punch on a fucking ballot,
Diet commercials screaming on TV,
Almost-nothing sweeteners disappearing before your very eyes,
First woman President ALMOST makes it,
Lifetime TV movie telegraphs,
“Band Of Gold” sung on Karaoke night,
Capri thin cigarettes in pretty pink packs,
A diamond is a girl’s worst friend,
And then it ends.

There are heroes & there are heroines.
People who win, people who make it first.
A woman who worked two jobs until the dead of night
To pay for those new red & black Nike Air shoes
You hit the court with only three times last year.

There’s blood coursing through this history.
I said it once to you, sit like a woman!
Pull that skirt down.
Speak only when spoken to.
Let him order for you.
There’s no blood coursing through this history.

I was raised by a woman day-to-day alone.
Supposed to make me soft, supposed to make me shallow.
Instead, it made me empathetic to the single solitary
First time reason I am out here shouting against all of this.

I saw that bullshit look he gave you.
Scared that having you look too pretty
Might make him look like too much of a dick.
You let him take you home in that brand-new black Mercedes hard-top
Playing that Al Green CD he bought K-Tel special
And he probably tried to make you give it up in the backseat out on Mulholland Drive.

Sit like a WOMAN!
Means sit down. Means sit on it.
Sit somewhere anywhere other than here.
Don’t let someone passing by see between your legs.
Your g-string & everything else in the low-light tunnel up there.

I’m sick of every single thing that this choke holds back.
No v-neck sweaters, too short skirts, fallow make up
That make you look like the dead walking.
Sit like a woman!
Don’t sit here. Don’t sit here. Don’t stay here.
© Adam Bresson

And I’m still out here on-the-line
A phone call away made faraway
Testing the efficacy of century-old copper wire
Trusting the miles to not kill off the line

Inside out, my guts hang out there on-the-line
The oh-honey-so tragic nature of a twice divorced mother
Played in the repetition of telephone numbers & time
That used to play a song sing-a-long for everyone

Wrap the telephone wire in aluminum
Insulation for the indecision, once divorced son
Couple quick breaths then must exhale into the pickup
As I fail in time with the ringing

It’s going down
So far you can’t even fight it off
Disappearing into the crackling voice
It’s tear-talk, extra-quiet scratch

There are better vehicles to carry on from here with
With fewer imperfections, less-for-more, how-may-I directions
Suck that voice across time zones tracking the changes
GMT leaving this strangeness in me to press on

It’s going down, so why stay on the line
Knowing from some time ago where this will terminate
© Adam Bresson

On August 29, 2008, I read at Rapp Saloon, a reading at the hostel in Santa Monica, CA. I read three pieces: “I fell deeply in love with you somewhere over Topeka, Kansas…”, “Its going down…” and “Sit like a woman!…” Please visit www.adambresson.org for more poetry and writing. Hope you enjoy!

On March 5, 2008, I read at Velvet Guerilla Cabaret, Michael Slobotzky’s reading at Unurban Coffeehouse in Santa Monica, CA. I read one piece: “Paulo drove his midnight blue still kicking Buick Regal all the way to Bremerton in this beating rain…” Please visit www.adambresson.org for more poetry and writing. Hope you enjoy!

On March 5, 2008, I read at Velvet Guerilla Cabaret, Michael Slobotzky’s reading at Unurban Coffeehouse in Santa Monica, CA. I read one piece: “Paulo drove his midnight blue still kicking Buick Regal all the way to Bremerton in this beating rain…” Please visit www.adambresson.org for more poetry and writing. Hope you enjoy!