“i am trying to please you because i care about you”

The chapbook is available for purchase at The House for $5. Last I heard there were 7 copies left so get on it.

Local poet/whatever, Michael Inscoe published the chapbook, “i am trying to please you because i care about you” this past July.  Inscoe filled the chapbook with poems, blog posts and short stories from his website entitled quickly; this is like leaving.  Kissing/not kissing girls, Otis Redding and nonchalant self deprecating humor are some common themes in his writing.

I attended the chapbook’s release which was held at a poetry reading on the patio of The House in Hillcrest, July 15.  It was a sticky, hot evening for sure.  Not a seat was vacant leaving people to stand with their beers clenched in hand, sweat dripping from the insides of their elbows.

Inscoe read his poems in near darkness. At one point, he unsuccessfully tried to light his notes with a cell phone.  This failed attempt only made him say something like, “Nevermind.  That was a dumb idea.”  Which is precisely the kind of material he can use for his next poem.

Inscoe reading at The House.

i’m not sorry

untitled

the song made me think of missing a ‘girl that is now getting married’

I walked into the bathroom and dramatically/ angrily kicked the air

I sat down at my computer

I ‘dramatically/ angrily sipped my coffee’ and some went into my nose

I changed the song to something else

I made you a copy of one of my favorite poems by one of my ‘favorite contemporary poets’

I changed the ‘copy size’ to ‘30%’

It was hard to read but the poem was still really good

I was carrying a copy of another one of my favorite poems by a contemporary poet I like a lot in my pocket all week

folded in my pocket it was still a really good poem

I unfolded it and made a ‘55% copy’ of it

you could see the folds in the paper on the copy and you could read the writing better than the ‘30% copy’ of the other poem

both poems were really good and “made me think of missing” a ‘girl that now lives in Minnesota’ and “a ‘girl that is now getting married’”

I changed the ‘copy size’ to ‘20%’ and copied the ‘30% poem’

the poem was tiny and ‘illegible but I could still make out the shape of it’ and it still “made me think of missing a ‘girl that now lives in Minnesota’”

a new song came on

I felt numb

I felt ‘like I never wanted to feel human emotions or anything ever again’

I felt dramatic/ angry and thought: “oh yeah, those are human emotions or something just kidding”

I felt stupid and alone and kind of numb but now in a calming way

the windows were open and it was warm outside and I thought about riding my bike to go get coffee somewhere

A portrayal of Inscoe by Phillip Huddleston from the back cover of iattpybicay.