First on the Fire - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Brett Axel earned a Parkhurst Award for his critically acclaimed, 1977 play, En Passant; his poetry has appeared in a variety of literary journals and anthologies; he has given featured readings, lectures, and workshops in colleges, libraries, bookstores, and specialty venues throughout the country; articles have been written about Brett in over 40 newspapers. As an editor for Outlet Poetry Journal, Hart Magazine, and the Zeropanik Press anthology of poetry, Will Work For Peace, he has accepted and published the work of Sherman Alexie, Regie Cabico, Cid Corman, Diane di Prima, Martin Espada, Donald Hall, Bob Holman, Carolyn Kizer, Colette Inez, Leslea Newman, Hal Sirowitz, W D Snodgrass, and Peter Viereck, to name a few. Both as a poet and as a social activist, Brett has appeared on radio, Television, and in the Mary Knolls documentary, Crossing the Line, narated by fellow opponent of the US Army's School of the Americas, Susan Sarandon. Of Brett Axel's Will Work For Peace, Pete Seeger writes that it is, "An astonishing book." Chris Farlekas of The Times Herald Record Newspaper declared his theatrical poetry creation, Diner Eucharist (directed by Kyrce Swenson and starring 12 poets playing themselves) "Extraordinary!" and selected it in his year in review, as one of the ten best shows of 1997.

Despite twenty-five years of publication and acomplishments, a full length collection of Brett Axel's poems had not been released until now. Brett had turned down an offer in 1982, claiming that he didn't feel he was ready. Now, in 1999, he is as sure as he is glad he waited.

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Treatment Center The therapists in this building/ Specialize in the emotional problems resulting from/ Child sexual assault./ Young victims of men and their penises/ wait to expose themselves again / There are no private places anymore./

Men sit there also/ Waiting to see their therapists./ The men make eye contact with recovering mothers/ And their raped children./

The men's sessions are court ordered/ And ineffective./ But the lobby is a catalog of incentives./ The men look forward to their sessions./ They arrive early/ And linger after./

Birthday

There's a beautiful sight:/ A shape-shifting clot/ Spitting with a fountain of blood/ From the first opportunity/ Between his head/ And her labia/ Slow-motion into the stainless steel basin/ Under propped legs./

Another set of pushes/ Clears the shoulders./ The rest of my son/ Slithers out easily./

Our newborn rests on Linda's belly now,/ Shaking bloody fists/ In front of his face./ His breathing matches hers:/ The calm after an ordeal:/ A beautiful ordeal, the first/ Rich with blood and compromise. Illustrated

Mom became an artist/ With the first-aid box / Painted silhouette animals/ In orange tincture of Mercurochrome/ On our bleeding injuries:/ Bunny rabbits on scrapes/ Giraffes on long cuts./

After the pain ended,/ When the bleeding was over,/ We giggled at the zoo/ Painted on our arms and legs/ And didn't remember/ Until we grew up/ How she had wounded us.