17th
Experienced: Tuned Droves by Eric Baus
Over the next couple weeks, I’ll post some thoughts about my favorite poetry books or chapbooks that came out in 2009. These aren’t reviews- they’re more… experiences.
The first book I want to talk about is Tuned Droves (Octopus Books, 2009) by Eric Baus.
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For a long time, even after I had my copy of Tuned Droves, I couldn’t stop thinking of the book as “Turned Doves”.
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When I read Tuned Droves, it’s like I’m trying to tell a relatively straightforward story but someone has hijacked my vocal apparatus. The hijacker replaces every fourth or fifth word with an insect- or animal-related word pulled from my subconscious. When the unexpected word comes out of my mouth, I pretend like nothing happened, like I always intended to say “bee” instead of “door”. And you know what? It’s true.
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The way I feel reading Tuned Droves is how I imagine my dog feels when she has the hiccups. Have you ever seen a dog with the hiccups?
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I had a dream I gave my copy of Tuned Droves to Eileen Myles. She was really thankful and remarked how difficult it was to find a copy of Tuned Droves. I told her in that case I needed it back. She laughed. I said I wasn’t kidding. It was awkward. I think we were going to fight. Then I woke up.
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Tuned Droves happens when the book is read.
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Sometimes I suspect Tuned Droves was written for me, specifically.
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You can read a poem from Tuned Droves called THE CONTINUOUS CORNER in Octopus Magazine #11.
You can buy Tuned Droves at Octopus Books.
