matthew baker thompson

"I AM NOT A TV" reviewed by Broken Pencil

2009-08-12T11:14:00.005-04:00

Hello, you. This is rather exciting. Broken Pencil, the arts magazine from Toronto, has reviewed my 2009 chapbook/zine, "I AM NOT A TV." This is what the author had to say:

I AM NOT A TV! is a well-designed poetry zine. The writing is good; Thompson has a consistent voice that is a little mocking, a little sarcastic, and a little cheeky. The subject matter of the poems ranges from Obama and cat-killed squirrels to seemingly fictional stories. The best poems in the collection made me feel like I was watching from over the narrator's shoulder. Thompson shows real strength in his character writing; his poems might serve as intriguing, miniature character sketches. One poem called "separation of church and page" reveals something of Thompson's personality in his writing: "board my little raft,/and I'll paddle you to a place/where all the banned books/are gathered together around fires,/laughing at you." If you're looking for some bold, cheeky poetry with intelligent and varied subject matter, then I AM NOT A TV! might be it.

I don't have a copy of the magazine yet, so I don't know the name of the reviewer. When Bobby told me they reviewed my zine, I kind of expected to be torn apart, so I'm pretty excited about this. Thank you to Chris Fritton for typing up the review for me. Thanks to Bobby for giving them my zine. Thanks to Broken Pencil for not telling me to die.

best of buffalo

2009-04-23T20:53:00.005-04:00

i was nominated in the top 5 in the 2009 Best of Buffalo. it was the poet/spoken word category again. maybe next year i can win a real category like "Best Outdoor Public Space."

thanks for voting for me, though.
you're nice.

Upcoming Life of Poems

2009-02-13T19:34:00.006-05:00

-I'm working on 3 different wonders for the upcoming Buffalo Small Press Book Fair (buffalosmallpress.org) on March 21st. The first is a yet-to-be named chapbook, the 2nd is a special chapbook I'm working on with my good friend Adam Sukhia (it's about bears!), the third is a little friend which must remain secret until you touch it with your own life. All will be available, as in past years, at the Bad Drone Media table (www.baddrone.com).

-I will be appearing on the Joe Milford Poetry Show (www.joemilfordpoetryshow.com) with Kim Chinquee on the following day, March 22nd. I'm very excited to read. My life happens in bursts and I can't control it.

<3mbt>

THE SIDES OF THE PROPERTY BEND OUT

2008-10-30T23:18:00.001-04:00

COUNTER CLOCKWISE
CLOCKWISE
INSIDE
IN THE REVERSE OF A QUADRA POLE FIELD
OF A 4 POLE MAGNETIC FIELD.

Robert

2008-09-19T11:01:00.001-04:00

If only I could interview this well.

The moon is a mirror.

2008-08-30T01:39:00.002-04:00

JULY 4th 2008.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE PARAMETERS, THE MOON IS NOT EQUAL.
THE MOON IS A MIRROR.
THAT LIGHT IS BEHIND IT.
THE MOON IS A MIRROR.
A HOLOGRAM,
THE MOON IS A MIRROR.
THE MOON IS A DREAM.
THE MOON IS A MIRROR.
HOW CAN THE LIGHT BE BEHIND THE MOON!?

in java, when you're ajaxing...

2008-08-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

ok, so i almost died again. longtime mbt friends are used to this.

it was tuesday night. i was trying to watch tv with peej bottoms and hollzerz across america. i thought my lung was gone. i would try to breathe and it felt like an angry man was stabbing me with a hunting knife right in the lung. i had always favored my left lung until this point, so this was coming way out of left field. i'm sure you understand.

i went to the hospital yesterday to see if they could find my lung. my doctor's name was "courteney," and he was a dude. he found it. he cured me. i am so lucky to have a courteney like this in my life.

so anyway, my diagnosis was wrong. it was not a stab wound. i have actually have INFLAMED CARTILAGE BETWEEN TWO OF MY RIBS. maybe it was from basketball, maybe it was from the devil. courteney didn't really know this much. i forgive him though. it like, hurts a whole lot, but i basically have the pain threshold of mother russia.

lol mary pray for us.

that's all.
<3mbt

here you go.

2008-08-21T13:47:00.000-04:00

poag's hole

2008-08-18T11:26:00.003-04:00

hello, friends.
i'm progressing on a new project.
it's not as silly as my usual photos.
i've tentatively entitled it the poag's hole series.
i don't really want to divulge any more information, but here's one of the poems, "the air on the porch"-
view it full-size here

PJ and the Prairie Dog being dramatic.

2008-08-07T12:39:00.003-04:00

8.4.08/ Paper towels

2008-08-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

8.3.08

2008-08-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

Reading at Bon Vivant 8.1.08

2008-08-02T09:54:00.001-04:00

To those who came to Bon Vivant yesterday, thanks for laughing. I again read as part of a Sugar City Showcase. If you're reading this and haven't checked out Sugar City, please do so. They're good people doing something noble.

I read two series of poems with the help of a photo slide show in the background. The first was a really super series I wrote about missing roxyjme, who has a real nice blog, as she was gone on her trip to Mexico. The list of poems-

-Men of the Beard
-"Life Without You, My Heart's Tragic Story" Series [9 short poems]
-"Thurman Thompson Grows Up" Series [10 short poems]

I'll be taking a break from Buffalo readings for a bit to write new things. This marks the 7th time I've read in 2008 and things are feeling stale. I don't want you to be bored, my friends. I'm going to try to catch up with the poemaday count on my website, as well as posting all the pictures here, so keep checking.

7.30.08

2008-07-30T12:51:00.000-04:00

without reason

2008-07-17T10:15:00.003-04:00

if i were to update this every day, it would most definitely consist almost entirely of rants about really bad drivers on sheridan dr.

7.16.08/ american heroes: edward grant

2008-07-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

7.14.08 the aesthetics of mustard

2008-07-14T11:42:00.000-04:00

tim brown reading/ attic show

2008-05-09T13:28:00.000-04:00

hello, team. thanks to everyone who came to either the tim brown reading or sugar city! i had a great time at both. i'll be concentrating my efforts on submissions for the next couple months, but hope to do a couple readings sometime soon. i made a Facebook Author Page , which i'll try to keep updated with news/etc. if you'd like to become a fan, i'd be honored. again, thanks to everyone for the overwhelming amount of support in the last couple months. zines will be available directly from the website soon! <3mbt.>

pittsburgh

2008-04-18T13:30:00.000-04:00

fourforfriday! i found some old pictures that i had neglected to upload. i hope you like them. if you enjoy the site, please spread the word! as a reminder, all images can be linked to directly if you'd like to reference one in particular. i'll be in pittsburgh for the next few days (not glued to a computer screen.) enjoy the weekend.

website update

2008-04-16T19:31:00.000-04:00

i hope you enjoy the new web which i have given you. i know it's crazy. whatever. tell me what you think: matthewbakerthompson@gmail.com. if you hate it, do the same I GUESS. tim w brown reading is fast approaching.

buffalo small press book fair/art voice nomination

2008-04-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

hello, internet. it's been awhile. the book fair was fun. thanks to all who came to my reading or dropped by the table. if you're interested in a zine, email me matthewbakerthompson@gmail.com or bug someone at bad drone i'm at work on another zine... something a little different. i was recently announced as one of the top 5 vote-getters in artvoice's Best of Buffalo 2008 in the "Best Poet/Spoken Word Artist" category. thanks to anyone who voted! they announce winners on monday. also, i'm participating in a cool project called a script frenzy. if you're a writer, check it out.

bad drone table at 2008 buffalo small press book fair

2007-12-28T23:36:00.000-05:00

i'll be releasing a zine at the buffalo small press book fair. it will be at the bad drone table, along with zines by eternityuniverse and bobby if you please!. i'll post more deets later, but come on, it's way fun.

this is what i did at work today

2007-04-20T18:02:00.000-04:00

this is what i did at work today.

man man/icy demons ratfest

2007-03-20T23:20:00.000-04:00

At its onset, it all seemed normal enough- each person grasping their respective, beloved $2 pbr, kit bowman in safety glasses, providing strange time travel metaphors. The xtreem young ones were in front, touting their illegal beverages and chewing gum. The token 35 year old with muscles and hatsuitwine was even there in full head-nodding effect.

What was to happen, no one could predict-
I saw it first in a small girl. Her chewing gum had become caught in her hair and as she reached her hand to deal with the problem, her arm began to become shorter and shorter. Her fingers curled and she started to turn. I could almost feel the prickling whiskers from across the room./

The rats were peacable at first. They continued to flail about and do hopping maneuvers they learned in Fall Out Boy videos on the Epilepsy Channel. Some witnesses thought it was the phantom bass notes which struck in the midst of the 3rd song which stirred up the rat pit. Though no one knows the exact cause, the effect cannot be disputed. The song "miami ice," (an obvious play on words referencing their favorite basketball team, the Miami Heat) was when it happened. The rats were driven by an unseen force. They all burrowed at the same time, as if trying to find the greatest of egg rolls on the Mohawk Place floor.

the rats being the deciding factor, the definite danger, the centerpiece, this left the rest of the floor fragmented and confused. each human found his or herself struggling to define their moral fabric, their definite human component. some say that it is our senses which define us. some also say that the sense of smell is the strongest sense. perhaps that was the ultimate motive behind the great divide. there was an immediate civil war- each person asked themself- how dense is my stench? two factions were formed. the trembling keyboard solos which shot across the floor did little to slow things down. we were two armies.

the hippies vs. the hipsters.

(being careful not to forget the rats, of course, but one cannot justify calling rabid rodents a group )

there were immediate ramifications....

to be continued...

balzac

2007-03-08T01:02:00.000-05:00

i finally pantsed my supervisor today
i couldn't take it anymore she
didn't see
what i thought was so funny.
it was her underwear.
tomorrow i'm asking for a raise.

commutism
-----------------------------------
my car is small it saves on
gas you think i love trees.
trees'rearrright i guess but
truth is i use it as a wedge.
nothing i like more than poppin
er low and headin for the slow lane
overturning grandma goose
in her olds.
50-50 the guardrail and
i'll give you a 10.

like kind of about poker, but more ttly like about sex&hip hop (and bunnies)
-------------------------------------------
a good wager took you all in
and a good push will spend you
i'm sure
you'll see my teeth
your arms will stretch
between bedposts shimmering like
hip hop
and you'll wonder what's not to
bounce to

--------------------------------------------
pizza fold.

doin it in an igloo

2006-12-15T15:38:00.000-05:00

icy small three supertext
---------------------------------------
i feel steamy but it could just
be the contrast
the drips they let us know
in rhythm what we're
up to.
our future is warming
up. too.
doin it in an igloo
with you you you

writer's compass
------------
she said
be serious
this isn't a poem
and i said
no no,
but simply because
i've yet to make it so.

if i ever had a reunion
--------------------------------
hi there friends
hope this finds you well
find it strange you've
so s s s seperated yourself
from a s s s serpent like me
yet you're still using the
vo.cab.u.lar.y.
i gave you 3 years ago.
yes, friends
hope this strikes you well
how are the thingings with the
lordings?
friends, i hope
this creeps you well
hope it slithers into your bed at night
and you dream of the evil you've drawn in my mirror.

hope thi

2006-12-07T08:43:00.000-05:00

old man sweaters // 12.7.8:45am
------------------------
i slouch.
not just at christmas.
the lady at church told me once
"it's something evil inside
trying to make it's way back to hell"
i thought that sounded pretty cool.
slouching's not so hot, though.

hump day//12.7.8:46
-------------------------------------
they told me i had to leave
that i was pushing the limits
of business casual.
i punched a security guard in the parking lot

i slept until the rest of them were tired
and then i went for a walk.

2006-12-05T17:18:00.000-05:00

living alone //11.29.12:30pm
--------------------------------------
1april.
i buy plants to help my breathing
and they keep dying
so i keep smoking

2june12th
i buy videos to help my dancing
but my feet keep tripping
so i keep drinking.

3june 21st
i finally bought a cat.
for companionship.
but he got out the window they
wanted more for me to place the lost
ad than he cost in the first place.

4july7th
these god damn
flies
aren't american.

5august11th
i forgot to pay my gas bill
who thinks about gas
when you 're sweating yourself
to sleep
at night?

6august 16th
it’s probably your birthday.
or something to drink about.
but i don't have a calendar.

7september 14-28th
leaves.
bullshit leaves.

8october...
i forgot my birthday again
my landlord was the only person
to call.

9october.
today i saw a dog who had three legs
it made me think of war

10october
i keep a knife
sewn in my pillowcase
nothing to worry about
it's just in case

11nov
i can watch you now.
with satellites.
so you’d better start smiling

shewasn'tunderstandingwhatiwastryingtosaysoisaid
simplybabymyunderstandingreadsthisway

safflower junction

2006-11-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

today is not a noodle
today is the opposite of that
everything keeps coming out
of my mouth in bold, momma,
and i just can't help it.
today, i have a linguistics presentation to pounce on.
if it goes well, they'll promote me to language corporal.
i'll have my own squadron.
things are looking up.

new ingeborg song was posted yesterday,
"the disobedient prophet slain by a lion"
# 2 in the prophets series.
it might be even more annoying than "dry bones"
:-)

when i hold you //11.29.1:14pm
--------------------------------------
let me tell you how comforted i am
that my deodorant is called "pacific surge."
it's just so alleviating to feel that
i've got the entire state of california
rushing up to protect my underarms from stench.
and let me tell you,
50 years ago, you'd probably have your head
buried in some zinc oxide rub
smelling of cattle
and smelling of chemicals.
you're quite a lucky woman to live
in such an age.
(i'm sure you'll agree.)

i haven’t left my room for days //11.29.12:46pm
--------------------------------------
i can watch you now.
with satellites. d
so you’d better start smiling

anytime minutes// 11.29.8:12pm
----------------------------------
tonight i said to my mother
"that's not a fucking option"
she promptly hung up on me.

what i remember //11.25
--------------------
i am unstoppably still
increasingly christ-like
and endlessly vague.
baby, build me a monument on misinterpretation
lay around awhile
stay for the suntan

i should have stopped with the last one // 11.29.904pm
--------------------------------------
don't tell me what a bedroom is for.
i know what a bedroom is for.
it's for whatever i want it to be for.
don't be such a communist.
how ever will the sweaters be knit
if i do not provide?
i don't tell you what your bedroom is for.
so don't tell me what my bedroom is for.
because it's for whatever i want it to be for.
it's for sweatshops.
it's for sweaters.
i can have sex on the couch if i want.
this is my house.
this is my bedroom.

due to reasons not of mirth //11.29.12:23pm
---------------------------------
each time i come home
after 4 am
my heart, it’s beating so fast.
i get perplexed, i tell you.
i get fucked up.
i get nervous, i get fast.
i look at my bed like it’s
the smelly person on the elevator
like it’s an abortion protester
and i’m knocked up as all get up.
i coax myself into walking over there
lying my lanky body down
and each and every time
i swear
i pull the covers back
just waiting
to feel the venom hit my leg.
to feel the snake bite.
i swear
i know there’s a cobra round here somewhere
and one of these times
he’ll get me.
not last night,
but maybe tonight.
. .

living alone //11.29.12:30pm
-----------------------------
i buy plants to help my breathing
and they keep dying
so i keep smoking
i buy videos to help my dancing
but my feet keep tripping
so i keep drinking.

got a dollar? // 11.29.8:52 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------
how in sam hills am i supposed to concentrate
i'm right out of proteins.
i lost those proteins hours ago
and haven't the resources to replace them
proteins are a much desirable item, these days, i tell you.

for the archivist in all of us //11.29.8:56pm
-------------------------------------------
sometimes things are great when you look back
like you wouldn't, couldn't do them
any differently.
and sometimes
things are just a bit off
a word or two, here or there.
sometimes.
things are just
aammaeeesmamsmamessmammamemssmames
ammesssmameeesammmammamemessm.

stop it // 11.29.8:47pm (edit @ 909pm)
-------------------------
the girls that come
into the library
at the end of the semester
with their fake tans
and dark hairs
they don't know what they're fucking doing.
so i hit on them, before they can ask me for computer help.
i don't know anything about computers.
i was raised in Canada.
do you know where Canada is?
Canada has no electricity.
it's powered only by the friction of air balloons rubbing on glaciers
as they make their final decent.
i hit on them
because what else are they going to do in a library?

warnings and sirens // 11.29.8:42pm
---------------------------------------------
show me hell and i'll walk home, tiger.
show me a handshake that i'll regret
love is a corvette
love is a lamp shade.
love isn't red,
so get out of the boat, captain.
love oozes, yes,
but not like that.
not like your lymph nodes
i wonder if my car was towed.

thursday //11.21
---------------
red wine.
not cigarettes.
if i don’t go to class
i don’t have anything to do today!
my eyebrows are boners
my boners are metropolis
movebot2000. show me your moves.
dancebot2000.show me your hipshine.

computer lab //11.29.2:36pm
----------------------------
these computers are sounding like
older gentlemen.wheezing and coughing
and generally sounding like dignified death.

11/29.7:56pm
---------------
we'll build spaceships, sure.
we'll blast off into anything
without hesitation.
we're through with constructions
we're through with reality
we'll cause spastic revolutions of

oh my. i did it.

2006-11-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

some semi- recent poems.
(the butler version)

aim.//11.28.
[17:03] andpulledmyhair: you can kiss me close.
[17:04] andpulledmyhair: want to go on a date sometime?
[17:07] andpulledmyhair: you are like an end-time
[17:07] andpulledmyhair: you make me want to change my relationship status.
[17:11] andpulledmyhair: you're always disappearing
[17:11] andpulledmyhair: like a firefly.
[17:11] andpulledmyhair: in the daytime.

2006, no wind for an anthem // 11.28
------------------------
i am a poor student.
i neglect deadlines.
i write poems on bubble sheets.
if he doesn't take attendance,
and i can get a B,
sounds fine to me
sounds fine to me.

what else to do? //11.28
-----------------------
i am developing a lisp.
how ever will i get elected now?
it's her fault.
past relationships always give you lisps.
you see, there was too much talking.
too much.
i streamlined my speech.
it's compact now.
simply no time for ssssssssssssssss
and tho it had to be thevered.

please try again // 11.18ish?
---------------------------
as instructed, i looked under the cap,
but it read only “sorry! please try again.”
now i know the exclamation point is there for purposes of sincerity,
and i know the cap said please, but
i didn’t really feel i had it in me to ever try again,
for the message was staring at me
in that square font
that can only let you know you’re a real failure.
i know i’ve seen it before
i’m quite sure it’s employed on my bank statement.
on my credit card bills. your handwriting, i swear.
and it will be there,
in all it’s blocky, jagged glory
catching raindrops and scolding them as they
meander down my gravestone.

sanitize this
-----------------------------------
i just sneezed and no one said “bless you”
i always say “bless you” when people sneeze.
every. time.
i’m not sitting here asking for “god bless you”
or gesundheit, just a regular, polite little “bless you” would do.
i’m serious, would that be too hard?
a choo. bless you.
you lazy sons of bitches
sitting here browsing your lame
god damn myspace pages
with awful music
and pictures of yourselves with your boobs hanging everywhere.
you know what?
i hope you all sneeze and each and every one of your hearts STOPS
respectively
i hope your SOULS FLY OUT YOUR NOSES
AND NEVER COME BACK.

the day we lost our limbs
----------------------------------------------------------------
in the storm there was no way for them to catch me
i’d had too much practice.
i pulled the branches as i ran through the dark
and when they snapped, each and every one
caught a vulture in the face.
i don’t really know where they'd come from,
maybe they traveled with the snow itself.
i didn’t really know if vultures traveled with blizzards,
i didn’t know much at all, really.
i’d seen them around the city
perched on street lights
hiding behind corners
but never out here.
these were my trees.
i knew them well.
they kept coming, though.
one after another. droves, i tell you.
and i kept running.
i kept tugging on branches to snap back.
the vultures kept dropping.
this went on for hours, branches began to break.
limbs were shattering, and i found it more difficult to find enough ammo
to ward them off.
the mayor,
in the morning,
he said it was the worst storm he’d ever seen
he made no mention of me.
he saw what was left.
he saw what they’d done.
he wouldn’t let them roll the footage of me.
just of trees.

the right to vote
---------------------------------
in my school’s newspaper
they interviewed people regarding
the recent election.
6 of 6 said they were pleased with the results.
not entirely too surprising.
5 of 6 said they hadn’t voted.
oh god, i know it’s not your fault,
but i blame you anyhow.

incessantly
--------------------------
you have blonde hair
and you obviously don’t know anything about music.
you have blonde hair and thus cannot write.
you have blonde hair and you don’t know what it means to suffer.
not like me.
not like my black rimmed glasses
not like my honda.
not like my imac.
imacs suffer.
not you, blondie.