Major League Philosophy 101
Poems by Brentley Frazer
First published by Retort Books 2005
© Brentley Frazer 2013
Major League Philosophy 101
Poems by Brentley Frazer
First published by Retort Books 2005
© Brentley Frazer 2013
Outside, soldiers in the dark nothing.
The screen awakens, we no longer must
slouch under our illusions.
I gave everything
to Love. We set our jaws and speak of God
send out battalions, arouse the rabble, hose
down the recalcitrant
assume power, seek
the opposite of doves. March merry down
the snakedrum road to heil, then lads, don’t look
back. Salute your masters boys, don’t look
back
you might see them laughing.
Get out your animal…you’ve got to walk it.
Illuminated kid whistling down the hall.
…
© Brentley Frazer 2013
A feature on my poetry written by Lana Durjava and illustrated by David Istvan published in the Slovenian magazine Tribuna. Below is the article translated to English from the Slovene by the author.
—-
by Lana Durjava
Language is a virus. Language infects. Language alienates people and kills their authenticity. Language cleaves and generates repression. Language is the basic mechanism of subordination to the ruling power. Brentley Frazer, Australian poet, painter, photographer, Gonzo journalist and the founder and editor of literary magazine Retort Magazine, is all too aware of these roles and functions of language. But still. In his works the language is surely at least up to a certain level maintaining the characteristics mentioned above, but it is, nevertheless, becoming a tool of rebellion against the said, on the exploitation based principles. One could say that the language in Frazer’s poetry becomes a tool of exposing the true nature of postmodern relationships of power. Frazer is systematically and effectively using the discourse of oppressors in the fight against themselves.