R.M. Engelhardt started sharing his poetry at local open mics in the early-90s and has since been a driving force in keeping the poetry and spoken word alive and well in the area. He has hosted a number of readings and events over the years and continues to welcome writers new and old to the stage.In this clip, Engelhardt reads “DeGeneration” at the Borders Open Mic on January 25, 1995. This poem was recorded for the CD, “Volume: A Compilation of Poets, Live”, produced by Mary Panza and Steve Clark chronicling the poetry scene at the time at such venues as the QE2, Margarita’s, and Borders.We talk about political poetry, what the arts community looks like in a post-pandemic world, and how he landed at Lark Hall for his monthly open mic.
Not of these golden days But in this dead choir of reprieve Of anguish of suffering of days
Let us all sing of the 21st century Of all our failures & the false Triumphs & of the true progress Of men
Unmade
Undone
Unseen
Watch & See how we So easily destroy
Ignore
Incite
Our own defeat
And on repeat Like a bad news story Like history Still worship greed And money The holy dollar And all the fat politicians On all sides taking Away what we once Called ” Freedom”
As a quaint, dismembered idea
As wars are still waged Poverty still a slave We post all our success Stories
But never our shame
As a dead earth No longer of beauty But of a violence unimagined And obscene
Disgusting.
Weapons Unimagined & unseen The end of everything The end
And the tragedy The murder of all days
Like all the animals dying & Loosing space
Oh how inconvenient
How 1980s And Green
Our voices & our Votes now all dead and Useless worthless things
Without any real power for Truth or change
Countries & governments In decline still crumbling And arguing, fighting Killing over race
And over oil
A disgrace
A disfigurement a World burning Forests dying No gods answering No gods listening No god here
Because No god cares Or listens Anymore
This planet This rock Used up & Separated
Dysfunctional Diseased
Destroyed
With hate With rage
Peace Now just Another trendy word
Forgotten
So for thee I Sing Of this body Dissected
Damaged by Monsters & corrupt men Fake patriots & grifters Looking for trophies And hiding behind a flag
And blaming All other living beings For everything They’ve done
More convenience More sorrow More lies The scapegoat Followed by the Image of the Tower card
Falling
As the seasons change The leaves remain But we never change
And never will
So for thee I Sing – Scream
For the impoverished Families and their children starving I Sing for the ignored And uneducated the unemployed And for all those Guilty of being Human beings
With hope With dreams With love With faith
I sing for humanity I sing for change
For Black lives For all lives For Suicides And for all those buried Beneath us in unmarked graves of Unrest & genocide And for all those who Believe in a Jesus Christ
( Or not )
I Sing for The Great Spirit That once roamed This land now a mere Figment of imagination Lost in the blood of My ancestors
The flags all at half mast Concealing the sadness The truth
Of a nation Once called America
Ashamed
I Sing of the body The whole of the soul Dissected
Diseased
Where Walt Whitman Would now if alive Weep over it’s reality And in it’s sorrow Walk away
Where Lincoln would Crawl up into a ball And simply
Choose to die
I Sing of A Nation of the Body dissected
By cannibals Who’ve erased all of It’s glory
And where there Is no honor, spark of Democracy, decency Or even electricity
Yes, and in fact, there’s a HUGE Poetry Scene and a Poetry Open Mic happening almost everywhere in the 518, Capital District area and that scene unknown to many has been going on for quite a few years. Decades in fact. This area’s writing and poetry scene is rich in its history & legacy and unless you’ve actually ever been to a local poetry open mic or event then you are missing out on something truly great which is area poets & writers sharing their words, voices, and work with others …
OF SPIRIT, ASH & BONE Is the New Book By Author, Poet & Writer R.M. Engelhardt is something entirely different & new that has been written in the poetic form & style of Sermons & Southern Gothic*Biblical Religious texts as well as in other verse styles. Unlike his previous poems and works over the last some 25 years Engelhardt uses these old forms to take on the problems and issues of today, now the 21st Century like War, Poverty, Racism & The Earth’s Present State of Oppression & Global Warming. Still a strong proponent and supporter of unique, experimental literary forms and Pagan Poetics R.M. Engelhardt has created a book which thus transcends, returns us all to a lost forgotten language of old and of the pure school of “Damnation, Fire & Brimstone” in the context of reaching a new generation with the warnings and poetic prophecies of change before it’s far too late.
It is and will always be what you say, what you write and what art you actually create that truly matters the most. Popularity doesn’t determine your worth and the followers will always come & go looking for the next big thing. That’s the unfortunate side effect of too much mass media. People not noticing what’s amazing or beautiful, what’s lasting or meaningful right in front of their own eyes. Poetry & art, music isn’t fast food. It’s eternal.
INVOCATION OF THE MUSE: The Open Mic For Poets, Poetry & The Spoken Word sponsored by Dead Man’s Press Ink is moving to Albany NY’s amazing venue Lark Hall located at 351 Hudson Avenue on Monday, April 4th 2022 kicking off National Poetry Month.
DeadMansPressInk & myself are excited to announce the return of The Poetry Open Mic which will as always be an all inclusive poetry mic for all where poets are welcome to share their work with others. Formerly held at the Fuzebox we are currently creating new events for them and will now continue to run our monthly First Friday One Performance Poet evening The Dead Man’s Press Spoken Word Showcase along with Albany’s Legendary Goth Darkwave Night HEX to follow as well as beforehand local bands & mixed media events supporting the Albany Music & Art scenes.
*So please join Us For Our First Open Mic at Lark Hall On MONDAY April 4th
*7:30pm SignUp*8PM Start Time
$5.00 Donation Requested.
POETRY LIVES IN ALBANY NY !
Hosted By R.M. Engelhardt
See You There!
INVOCATION OF THE MUSE AT LARK HALL 351 Hudson Avenue, Albany NYFirst Fridays Fuzebox
We live in destitute times wherein the gospel of greed and financial profit, not prophecy, answers our existential questions. The good poet, just as the prophet in days gone by, speaks to us in a language that jolts our memory and challenges our power of self-perception and imagination.
~ John Dewey
Of Spirit, Ash & Bone is the new book of poetry coming out soon and to be released by Dead Man’s Press Ink in 2022. Unlike my past work Spirit will be something different and unexpected yet still falling into the genre of pagan poetics as well as what could even be considered narrative & southern gothic. Also, the book will include a section of poems released in 2016 from my past book ” The Bones of Our Existence” which was only previously released on Kindle and are a series of pieces that were based on dystopian dreams that literally forced me to write the words & images down. Included in Spirit are also short narrative fables, stories which are based upon myth as well as what can only be called modern folklore for the 21st century. More News coming soon.
Words are powerful. Words make a difference. They can create and destroy. They can open doors and close doors. Words can create illusion or magic, love or destruction. … All those things.
R.M. ENGELHARDT 