Anne Waldman reads "Makeup on Empty Space"

Anne Waldman reading "Makeup on Empty Space." Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 15, 2002

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• poetry

[sentharia]

This poem is interesting for its multiple possibilities. Having listened to it once there is the more obvious idea of the emptiness of consumerism. There is also the idea of women's sexuality as a void that is a Romantic idea popularized by Freud; using this as a base of interpretation, the poem can be glossed as a comment on the constructedness of female gender and sexuality.

[JEcheerbffls]

Kinda scary

[newrealization12]

She's one of my favorite poets. So reflective of life, progressive ,and thought provoking. She's so intense reading it. She means what she says to the depths of her soul.

[Brettah31]

I thrust my 鸡巴 into empty space.

[kukrisna]

Your delivery puts me in mind of Mel Gibson in Hamlet, you cow.

[jestertick]

Amazing

[JaylyssaShowFANpage]

cool

[darnallt]

@merkmuir

I think the poem makes some sense with some basic Buddhist philosophy in mind. I won't type it again, but I just made another comment with my thought on the poem.

[darnallt]

@hopkins4545

I think the poem might address the simultaneous meaning- and meaningless-ness of appearances, courting, words, sex, etc. So there is both great power and meaning in these things, as empty space is infinitely potent and full of possibility, but also meaningless of itself.

...Maybe? Iunno, but I do like the poem. I was actually surprised to see and hear the way she read it here; I was expecting something more contemplative and loaded, and less charged.

[vdgghead]

She's devoted to poetry, and even though hers isn't the best, she's been very successful at keeping it alive and somewhat in the public eye.