Get Lit Minute

Daphne Gottlieb | "Sexy Balaclava"

October 17, 2022 Get Lit - Words Ignite Season 4 Episode 14
Get Lit Minute
Daphne Gottlieb | "Sexy Balaclava"
Show Notes

In this week's episode of the Get Lit Minute, your weekly poetry podcast, we spotlight the life and work of poet, Daphne Gottlieb, who stitches together the ivory tower and the gutter just using her tongue. She is the award-winning author of ten other books including the new collection of short stories, Pretty Much Dead. Previous works include Dear Dawn: Aileen Wuornos in her Own Words, a collection of letters from Death Row by the “first female serial killer” to her childhood best friend. She is also the author of five books of poetry, editor of two anthologies, and, with artist Diane DiMassa, the co-creator of the graphic novel Jokes and the Unconscious. She has relentlessly toured coast to coast, headlining solo tours as well as appearing with Hal Sirowitz, Lydia Lunch, and Maggie Estep. She has appeared at SXSW, Bumbershoot, and LadyFest Bay Area, and her poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in more than 50 anthologies. Source

This episode includes a reading of her poem, “Sexy Balaclava”. Check out more poems like this in our Get Lit Anthology.

"Sexy Balaclava"

I tried to rent the movie
about the protest,
but the store didn’t have it.

In the film, the underdog wins.
That’s how you know
it’s a movie.

They are passing a law here
to keep people from sitting
on the sidewalk. 

Poverty is still a crime in America
And  I am looking more and more
criminal, by which I mean

broke, by which 
I mean beautiful.
Holy. Revolution

is not pretty,

but it can be

beautiful, I’m told.

The protest was dull.

There was no tear gas

and there were no riot cops.

Nothing got broken

and nothing got gassed

and nothing got smashed.

There was no blood
and the world was not saved
so we went to the movies.

In the film, 
people kissed
at the end.

The underdog won.
That’s how we knew it was a movie,

a pretty lie.
Revolution
is not pretty

but I don’t care
about looks.
Set the dumpster

on fire. Break
the windows.
Don’t kiss me

like they do 
in the movies.
Kiss me

like they do
on the emergency
broadcast news.


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