Visual Verse.

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Van G. Garrett's Poems Translated Into Latvian​
tuscan hills 
toskānas kalni  

Van G. Garrett 
Vens Gerets

there is a deep vibration inside an opened hill in tuscany

dziļa notrīsēšana pāršalc pavērtu toskānas kalnu

full-bodied sounds like vino begging to be lip-pressed

biezas skaņas it kā dzērāja lūpas skūpstāmas lūgtos

held around the waist with sensibilities only a writer can supply

ap vidukli aplikti komplimenti kādus vien rakstnieks spēj izdomāt

an unfathomable beauty upon a bosom scented with lavender

un neiedomājams skaistums lavandu vēstošās krūtīs

proudly wearing the light of day like a sundress of purple splendor

kas lepni nēsā saules gaismu gluži kā gaisīga purpura kleitu

a suppleness of flesh silhouetted at night as

miesas samtainais siluets uz nakts priekškara

soft-blown winds swirl over the neck and spine

kad viegli vēji noglāsta kaklu un matus

of a honey-hued torso breathtaking in silence

klusumā elpu aizcērtoša medaina miesa

fragrant in every moment—outstretched like fingers across a body

smaržpilniem mirkļiem kas kā pirksti pieskaras ādai

sweetened by dew in the mornings as praises are sung 

no rīta tos saldina rasa kad gavilējam

like lullabies into air echoing notes like watermarks

gluži kā šupuļdziesmas kas atbalso ūdenszīmēs

same song 
tā dziesma  

i hug myself around the mountains

es apņemu pats savu plecu

of my shoulders

kalnus

like ray charles gathering his black suit

gluži kā rejs čārlzs uzvelkot melno uzvalku

sad fingers slow dragging

skumji pirksti lēns lēnīgums 

like cotton mallets over the timpani of my hollowed back

līdzīgs vates vālītēm uz manas izliektās muguras timpāniem
​

                GOOD STOCK: BOXING. ART. PHOTOS. WORDS.

   “Art is very important to me.  Art can fit any form of life. For example, painting could be considered a sport.  Anything and everything around us could be used as an expression of art.  I feel that athletes who are open to art may find inspiration in it.”
                                 —Lennox Lewis, Good Stock interview

I’m bigger than boxing.
         —Muhammad Ali

Ali (mixed media), Lauren Sleat

Ms. Pretty
Van G. Garrett

Some days I wish I wasn’t so talented.

So gifted, so strong.

My hands are too skilled.

I’m pretty. Look at me.

My punches are rock candy:

Sweet.     Sour.      Hard.

They crack your jaw. Loosen your teeth.

Broken chalk    dangling

Bloody nerves.

Don’t step on them. The crunching annoys me.

Lewis (mixed media), Lauren Sleat

Mr. Strong
Van G. Garrett

You don’t get shoulders like this

Eating Fruit Loops and Skittles.

Are you crazy?

What you see is hard work

Stacked upon hard work.

Punching, sweating.

Daily.


Pain. Practice.

Over. And over. And over.

Making a way out of no way.

Jabbing at goals like a concrete wall’s

Sweet spot.

Waiting for rocks to fall.

Young Foreman (mixed media), Lauren Sleat

Mr. Giant
Van G. Garrett

There’s no need for

Extra talking.

Actions announce a giant.

The way he steps.

Moves. Conquers.

Soft-spoken power is unexpected.

A cross, jab, hook combination.

Quieting the gears of a rambling mouth.

Brawlers, Jarrod "Toonz Day" Perez

Roadwork 
Van G. Garrett

I never minded getting my hands dirty.

Lugging cement and tools on hot and cold days.

My friends were with their girls.

I stockpiled muscles. Information.

The way hay makes bricks.

With hands strong enough

To carry me

To roads with less patches.

Everlast 
Van G. Garrett

Have you ever had a victory that felt like a loss?

The crowd

Booing you at your job,

After you’d put in an honest day’s work?

Spanish Translation

Has tenido alguna vez una victoria que se sintió como una perdida?

La multitud abuyandote en tu trabajo,

Después de lo que has puesto en un dia de trabajo honesto?

Coming Up For Six
Van G. Garrett

My fists murdered a window.

They dropped the ball. They took too long.

Sadness once on my shoulders

Inherited the blame.

The reason blood gathered like a bouquet.

The reason thorns of scars wrap my right arm.

Somewhere, people relive that story.         

No one laughs.

Broken To Build
After George Foreman
Van G. Garrett

I’ve delivered punches and sermons.
Hands sweaty after both.

Smaller than Texas,
My heart’s felt the world.

Muddied boots.
Camera shy.

Salvation floored like garlic
Or a right cross.

A change.

Revelation.

A fight:
Me versus me.

Ducking.  Dodging.

Something bigger.

Better than me.
An epiphany.

Wounded hands lifted me.

A broken body
Saved me.

God could’ve crushed in ways
I pummeled opponents.

He showed
Mercy. 

History, Van G. Garrett

Tickets, Van G. Garrett

Time Brings About A Change
Van G. Garrett

The leather of my skin doesn’t hold

The way it use to.

Insides are turned outward.

Emotions bloody my sleeves.

Guts, still strong,

Are knotted.

Bruises need more

Time to heal.

Busted stitches are roadmaps.

The wild hog in me a distant squeal. 

Abuse
Van G. Garrett

Have you ever been beaten so badly

Nesting tucked inside came undone?

A mound of what used to be,

Heaped memories.

Shredded, irreparable damage

Birds wouldn’t sing.

Vital organs exposed.

Browned from abuse.

Sliced, sometimes under flashing lights.

Gray, Van G. Garrett

Punched Past Soreness
Van G. Garrett

I.

Ribs and faces.

Blue bloody hands doubled.

Raw cheese grated flesh.

II.

Can’t tense muscles.

Stronger than pain.

Handcuffing weakness is my game.

III.

You,

Eat canvas.

Peppered with defeat.

 

 

Pair, Van G. Garrett

Unison 
Van G. Garrett


We just fit.

A glove and headgear,

History some can relate to.

Protection some understand.

Hands. A head.

Legs of a profession.

Co-dependent,

Ours is a bond of rhythm and blues,

Do-wop. Hip-hop.

Sometimes swaying in the keys of Alicia.

Magical sounds rolling.

Harmonious. On most days; however,

When we don’t groove we’re chicken coop-like.

Scattered. Messy. Unpleasant.

Foul, stinking up the place. 

Hero, Van G. Garrett

Curse the Name of Ali
Van G. Garrett

Your first time,

Gloved and ready,

Might not have gone as planned.


Awkward. Limbs wild.

Excited.

Ready to thrust

The air.


A punch landed.

On your face.

Hero-endorsed things are

Designed for power.

Your gloves, defective, didn’t work.

Tears came.

You cursed the name of Ali.


Stormed your room.

Heavy hands. Sobbing.

Thought to punch a wall.

Bare knuckles. The way

Men sat in chairs and fought.

Reconsidered. Got your gloves.

Adjusted. Bit your lip,

Threw haymakers like

Ali was in your corner

Saying how lucky you were to have

His signature, a landscape of trees,

A mountain, and a tornado, that wrapped your wrists.

Lauren Sleat
Artist Statement

My artwork falls into two main categories.  In the first category I use issues of class, race, sexuality, and politics as a gateway to more specific topics such as slavery, genocide, and more broadly, deviant political ideology. Through metaphoric imagery my work serves as commentary on these issues often underscoring the negative impact they have had on our society from both a historical and contemporary perspective. 

My second and central category of work is inspired by the great organic sculptures built by the elements – rain, water, wind, and fire.  It also draws heavily from the natural shapes and forms we see in nature such as the shapes of river rocks worn down by waters gentle persistence, shadows cast by the moon, and the whimsical movement of nature.

I typically work in charcoal and cut paper with primarily a black and white palette. I use black and white not as a substitute for color but as an abstract way of conveying feeling while leaving space for viewer interpretation.
www.laurensleat.com

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Jarrod Perez has been producing art for the last 28 years. Much of his work includes painting, illustration, vector graphics, and time-based mediums such as animation, videos, and comic books. 
http://toonzday.blogspot.com/

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Van G. Garrett is the author of Songs in Blue Negritude (poetry) and ZURI: Selected Love Songs (poetry). He is a member of Boxing Collectors’ News, an assistant coach for the Texas Southern University Boxing Club, and a certified USA Amateur Boxing Coach.
www.vanggarrettpoet.com

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Links:
http://www.lailaali.com/
http://www.georgeforeman.com/
http://lennoxlewis.com/