Paul Siegell

*04.18.09 – the Disco Biscuits – E-Factory, PA*

—for Marc Brownstein

eVERYONe.

for the moment feels smooth.

in the foreflow, the silhouette of
up goes both arms

when no one else has lifted theirs:
in his right he’s gotta clear plastic
water bottle just about kick’d,
just enough left that, as his burst of

that felt “YES!”

surges its attack, effecstasy, the ounces
he’s yet to down

join the night: whirls to witness—rides
from Mirror to River—Tunnel, Abyss--

back-lit by electric stage-shot orange
and blue—all ablaze in some fun fan’s

elevated heartbeat dance leap.

for the ventriloquist in the vortex tours,

“BISCO!”

• • •
“HULLABALOO” comes from farming phrases collected over time, then finding space for them. The Bisco poem came from just what it says: Show > Water Whirl > Poem. Why not? For the setlist that night, a quick Google shows they played “Mirrors,” “Rivers,” “The Tunnel,” and “The Great Abyss.”

Paul Siegell is the author of three books of poetry: wild life rifle fire (Otoliths Books), jambandbootleg (A-Head Publishing) and Poemergency Room (Otoliths Books). Born on Long Island, educated in Pittsburgh, employed in Orlando, Atlanta and now Philadelphia, Paul is a marketing copywriter and a senior editor at Painted Bride Quarterly. He has contributed to Apiary, Black Warrior Review, Rattle, and many other fine journals. Kindly find more of Paul’s work at ReVeLeR @ eYeLeVeL.