ICYMI, Part I

Ever since the term eskimo [siblings] poisoned my ear canal like hemlock, I've held disdain for it. There are many things in this life, the conversations found therein, on a daily to second basis, on the street, within range, out of sync, inside safe arenas, many words offered up to the gods of oblivious nature and zero regret. I'm known to roll my strong opinions like a swinging neck breaker from the ring apron. I chew back purple demons and leave irreparable gashes on my bottom lip when feigning reticence in light of conflict. 

I have few allies and I didn't take offense when our chief editor JP commented on the number of people in the writing community who "hate" me. I thought less of that than the fact there were those who had the unjust pleasure of sharing mutual friends/lovers within what is considered an elite group of writers/artists. Truth be told, I run in small but wisely concentric circles. I run the ropes with my shoulders braced for impact and my chest ready for an incoming lariat, over the top and onto the floor.

I can make conversation with opposing ideals and I'm not offended by bad words as much as I'm disgusted with blatant character flaws. I can walk by liquor stores and think about how I prefer to call them spirits. I can sit down with academia and ask in depth questions about composition of the stanza, formulaic verbiage meant to elicit a strong response from a room of like minded stooges that will inevitably reaffirm the writer's fragile self image with awkward silence or immutable finger snapping. I made an attempt at such a superhuman feat of strength when l first compiled a list of authors I wanted to interview after renewing my understanding with Unlikely Stories Six.

A woman whom I refuse to name, who considers her work impressive and sharpened like an ice pick melting in the sun on a beach in Orlando, was not a fan of my initial series of questions.

Anonymous Poet: "These questions don't seem specific to my work. It's like you haven't even read my writing."

FM: Uhm, well I like to initiate a less formal structure of questions as a way of breaking the ice. I'm into lucidity obviously. But I have more questions.

AP: "I'll answer questions that pertain to my work."

That was all I needed to hear and I said as much, excusing her majesty of the beach to retire back to her folding chair and teaching seminars for the next generation of carbon copy literary greats. 

She called me a punk ass and we parted ways. 

I felt bitter and needed some sense of commonality after participating in another devalued push outside my realm of interest. 

I felt like I was admitting to being a wrestling fan on a first date, which has become a common opener on my social dating sites as of late. It's important I'm known as a nerd off the bat, and there are few who get the appeal of what I and other closeted fanatics call the premiere sport of the modern world. 

Even fewer of us watch wrestling and read books, write poetry, call themselves a diarist and I can truthfully think of even less people that challenge my views on authors like Proust, wrestlers like the Miz (Mike Mizanan from The Real World), and educate me on the definition of being an Afro-Absurdist. I started talking with Kenning about the possibility I was walking into a situation where I'd end up being eskimo brothers with the Butcher from the former AEW tag team: the Butcher and the Blade, because I was talking with a woman who said that was her ex-boyfriend, immediately asked about the size of my dick, and if I had a hairy chest.

FM: If you were gonna eskimo with a pro wrestler, who has a mutual sense of attraction? Who knows you ontologically?

Kenning JP García: "maybe Roderick Strong since he doesn't seem to really enjoy being a part of any group and only barely really likes his friends. and yet, he often does come to the aid of others. i think we'd get along as we both want a lot of space."

FM: Norman Mailer vs. Will Kroos: Ladder Match?

KJPG: "sure, Kroos has him in height and weight but you can't take anything away from the veteran. Mailer has been at this a long time he knows how to break one's spirit in the ring. it's all psychology for Mailer. Mailer will get Kroos to doubt whether or not he even wants to be in this business at all anymore."

FM: Considering the hegemonic influence in this country, I often surmise that respect within the writing community is as tedious as garnering support from the online wrestling community. There are no true babyfaces or heels anymore because the standard for transcendental writing has lost its impact outside film adaptations, unscripted Smackdown promos and yearly author gatherings that benefit more from the pockets of the participants than readership. 

If you're picking a manager for more exposure, are you going with a screenwriter, Paul Heyman, or a booking agency like All American Speakers Bureau/Melanie Jackson Agency?

KJPG: "well, i'd never go with Heyman when i could go with Don Callis instead, but even with that said, i prefer to be a part of a faction with a charismatic leader like Ricochet or an intense leader like Mox but then again, there's Stokely. or, maybe one doesn't need a manager but a great hypeman like Prince Nana. maybe one fan will lead to other fans, especially if you have a great theme song."

FM: Actually, I was going to ask if you preferred Don Callis over Paul Heyman.

Sometimes your work is built on very personal maxims or even the mechanics of personism:

these are the sounds coming through the window tonight ...
been looking for an entrance as much as an exit...
always leave a little dirt on the lense for later... 

FM: You offer little to no elaboration, the statement or cold truth is 100 percent self contained and ever expressive; relative and deserving of introspection for the reader/listener. 

In terms of Afro-absurdism, your poems are functional for the disenfranchised at large, and reminiscent of writers like Yusef Komunyakaa. The voice belongs to the persecuted aside from the source of the narrative.  Do you think the level of blatant tyranny in today’s culture has served as a bridge between people of color, like ourselves,  and other sections of downtrodden society? Are we all speaking with the same tongue now?