WhimsyLand

Well, a glorious time was had by all at the MMM Volume VII Release Launch. Of course, there was wine: a case of 1947 Mouton Rothschild that had slumbered in the Bahr Family Cellars since the Cold War.  The beer was brewed for the occasion by Belgian Trappists.  The chips were composed of native Colorado maize hand-rolled on Mayan stones. James brought a spinach dip with magical properties that bubbled in a chafing dish the size of a wading pool.  Erik brought literjons filled from a secret spring that very afternoon.  There was buffalo tongue and frog legs and lamb's eyes floating in broth.  Malinda fashioned hundreds of mini-quiches from rare Alsatian cheeses. Barb rolled a cart around the gallery to serve flaming individual cherries jubilee to anyone with a hankering.

The official starting time was 7 PM, but the recent snow and an unexpected arrival of an Ambassador from Betelgeuse on the middle lane of I-25 delayed most of the participants. The Reading of the Published commenced at 8 PM, starting with Bahr, who is reputed to have adopted his surname for its alphabetical possibilities. Next came Robert King, who upon reading the initial stanza, burst into flames and re-emerged from the ashes as a larakeet, continuing as if nothing had happened.  Veronica Patterson read while wearing a hat a la Carmen Miranda, straw with a wide rim upon which was balanced fare from the fruit bowl.  Laura Weaver read and read and made us weep with happiness.  Jake Adam York stood up and thought about his poems with such concentration that the entire audience received images and clapped like children.   Kathryn Winograd gave her reading as the pinnacle of a human pyramid.  Barb's husband Tony, the only one who knew how to work the Church Ovens, then grabbed the microphone and threatened to read the complete works of Bukowski if somebody didn't try the hummus, of which there were five types, including "peyote" and "saffron-yam". Jeffrey Lee was in charge of the broadsides, which were roughly the size of queen sheets and the color of mangos. Each poet in the issue, upon entry to the party, was given a giant calligraphic pen to sign at the end of the poem, just above the tag that threatens prosecution for removal.  The Boulder Police came at some point, but left after sampling the brie. Erik began humming the Doxology, and we all filed out, holding the hips of the person in front of us. 

You should have been there.  Really.

The Next Big Event will be the arrival of Stephen Gyllenhaal to read his poetry and show clips of his films.  MMM is co-sponsoring the soirée with the CU-Boulder International Film Series and Community Relations, and it will take place on February 21st.  Please come.  You don't want to miss two in a row.