[the Writing of Kuypers]    [JanetKuypers.com]    [Bio]    [Poems]    [Prose]

Order this iTunes track from the poetry audio CD Hope Chest In The Attic 13 Years of Poetry & Prose ...Or order the entire CD set from iTunes:

Watch the YouTube video (1:39) Live at Mercury Cafe, live in Chicago 11/30/07

Watch this YouTube video of Jeff Helgeson reading her poem live in Chicago at Café Ballou, thru the Waiting4the Bus open mike 4/2/12

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem The Page from her book Finally, Literature for the Snotty and Elite live 11/20/13 at the open mic the Café Gallery in Chicago (C)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poetry from her book Finally, Literature for the Snotty and Elite live 11/20/13 at the open mic the Café Gallery in Chicago (C), including this poem

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem The Page from her book Finally, Literature for the Snotty and Elite live 11/20/13 at the open mic the Café Gallery in Chicago (S)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem the Page (to inspiration) live 9/10/14 at Chicago’s open mic the Café Gallery (C)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem the Page (to inspiration) {posterized} live 9/10/14 at Chicago’s open mic the Café Gallery (C)

See YouTube video 1/8/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her poem The Page from her book Hope Chest in the Attic live at the open mic Poetry Plus at Cianfrani’s in Austin (filmed from a Canon Power Shot camera)

See YouTube video 1/8/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her poem The Page from her book Hope Chest in the Attic live at the open mic Poetry Plus at Cianfrani’s in Austin (filmed from a Nikon CoolPix S7000 camera)

See YouTube video 1/8/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her poems the Cycle, Wedding Lost and the Page (to inspiration) from her book Hope Chest in the Attic live at Austin’s Poetry Plus open mic at Cianfrani’s (Canon)

See YouTube video 1/8/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her poems the Cycle, Wedding Lost and the Page (to inspiration) from her book Hope Chest in the Attic live at Austin’s Poetry Plus open mic at Cianfrani’s (Nikon)

the Page to inspiration and you would still appear, appear in the paper I held in my hand, rippling waves in the pages before me, a dorsal fin of a shark circling my head, watching its prey. I could touch the page and still feel the rose I threw over the mahogany box in the November cold, the grass covered with ice, cracking every time I took a step toward you. I could feel the pain in the paper, and I could still feel the cold marble, freezing my fingers. And the etched message on the stone could still took hold of me the way you did. All I had to do was look at your writing and feel the blood rush, feel your breath on my neck, feel the fist jumping out from the page and hitting me in the face. I could feel it. I could feel a thousand wars fought and won on your page, in your words. I could feel your hot breath pushing up against my neck, I could feel your hands taking my shoulders, throwing me back in the chair. I would look at your paper and see out the window the masses rising, rioting in the streets. I can feel the tide rising from your thoughts. What do you possess? What have you been through, to give you such a gift? I look back at the page, and I begin to feel your hand from under the page, from in the desk, razor in hand, shoving up through the fiber, slicing at the air, trying desperately to get to me. And I get up from my chair, walk over to the bathroom, almost like memorization. I feel nothing but the drive you felt. In the mirror, there are cuts on my face. Copyright Janet Kuypers. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission.