if you lived in bloomington you'd be stimulated now

David Lehman read some beautiful poems tonight. My favorites, I think, outside the incredible long piece, "Yeshiva Boys," were the Daily Mirror pieces and this, which I sort of love/hate.

Here's a tiny Daily Mirror from poets.org:

April 26

When my father
said mein Fehler
I thought it meant
"I'm a failure"
which was my error
which is what
mein Fehler means
in German which
is what my parents
spoke at home

But that is not all you missed because you do not live in Bloomington. Barbez played an amazing set in which poems and incidents from Celan's life were interpreted through their avant-chamber music. Of course, the theremin was a highlight, but so were the excerpts of Celan woven through the hypnotic, kinetic sound. Barbez is touring, but usually their shows are more rock-oriented. I'm not sure if the Celan pieces are part of their usual repertoire, but if you get a chance to see them, go!