During my visit to Estonia recently as part of the Diverse Universe 2009 European tour in which I participated, I was invited to perform at The Writer’s House in Estonia by curator, Al Paldrok. I read from my chapbook, Seeding the Clouds (Ornithology Press, 2003) and to demonstrate how I become language, I also gave my butoh-vocal theatre performance of my poem-dance choreography, “eAIR Butoh”. Post performance, I was approached backstage by a woman who introduced herself to me tearfully, told me she was quite moved by my work and that she too was a poet and visual artist. Below is one of the gifts she gave me, an excellent poem.

Punk’s song

Infested with high science
like a rash-ridden man
fuck you!,
you nuclear shroom groomer -
let punk be the name for the century!

What are you staring at with these slit eyes?
Progress soiled his pants, or rather pissed.

Mother’s milk not tasted, fathers unknown,
young slut’s tits as the only remorse,

came the punk, intriguing on the rush hour
urinating freely, boldly and with anger,

successfully ridiculing the bourgeois,
born to a world, where the wanking humanity,

shed all the ideals, reaches an orgasm,
having stroked the brains with his palm.

written by Kai-Mai Olbri
(Translated by Tristan Priimägi)
www.kai-mai.pri.ee

A highlight of my European tour, Michael Steger’s Open Space is a refreshing oasis for the unwanted artist. Open Space was host to the continuation of Al Paldrok’s Diverse Universe as the first “International Printer and Performance Festival” and took place on Berlin’s infamous May 1st. Thousands of performers, protesters, party-goers and arts patrons descended on Berlin’s Kreuzberg, making for an insane spectacle that I cannot believe I survived!

You can view a selection of photographer and resident webmaster Luz Scherwinski’s photographs of the festival on the Open Space website here: http://www.openspace32.de/galerie.php or on my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edoheart/ (more…)