The Lightning Room With Norman Savage

Norman Savage (Seven Poems): “Memory contains our desire; and we know our desires by their absence. It allows us to feel”; “Even when I had a dental plan, I was fucked. Genetics and diabetes”; “We are much dumber than what we suspect we are; we are around just long enough to become a nuisance”

1. What’s the point of a memory? What’s the meaning of what’s already gone?

Memory is a tricky thing.  Nothing is lost; nothing is gone. If that should happen, you’re too old, your arteries have hardened, or you have Alzheimer’s or dementia and have little or no recollection of things at all–even eating and finally breathing. But baring those calamities, our past is our constant present, it informs, whether consciously or not, all we do. And if one believes in that–which I certainly do–than our future is informed by it as well, and so our present contains most, if not all, of those seeds as well. Memory does something else as well, perhaps the most important thing: it allows us to make up stories and lie. Lie to both ourselves and to those who are listening and to those who want to bother us. How else, except by memory, do we know which assholes to avoid? to snuggle up to? to tolerate? because we have to? Memory contains our desire; and we know our desires by their absence. It allows us to feel something before we experience it; it supplies texture and smell and sound. It gives us the illusion of hope. It allows us to get through something–because we already have; and it reminds us that the cage we live in is not completely closed.

2. My Dad once traded a tractor for a few root canals. Do you have a dental care plan or are you fucked?

Even when I had a dental plan, I was fucked. Genetics and diabetes played havoc in my mouth from an early age. I have some government coverage, but because I had some good work done before that happened, I’ve not had to use it. All my mouth’s roots are long gone and I’ve been making do, so far, with what has replaced the natural set of choppers I was born with.

3. Would you rather be able to get an erection whenever you want or own an island and why?

Fuck an island. I live in New York City and prefer this madness to some kind of beautiful vista, sunset, or coconut. Finding out that the dick doesn’t come with a lifetime guarantee was another one of life’s cruelties told at the end when I couldn’t do much about it. Yet there are as many beautiful women that cross my path and my eyes these days as when I was young–when a stiff breeze got me hard–that being able to call up an erection any time I wanted to, would be welcomed indeed. Many of those youngsters need an older hand–as I did when I was younger–and I still feel an obligation of sorts.

4. Name a badass poet that people have forgotten.

Paul Blackburn

5. Who is K? K sounds beautiful.

“K” is an ex-patriot living in Mexico and is as beautiful as she sounds. Forty-five years ago we had a go at each other when she was fourteen and I was about twenty in Coney Island. It took that long for her to track me down, but love is patient. We then started emailing each other and finally using Skype. We would send each other sets of songs that we choose and listened to together and one night, when the heat built sufficiently and we were engaged in some banter, the poem started to assert itself and formed itself while still talking to her. It came out fully formed. She was as much writer to that work as I was. It was nice to know and feel that a sixty-three year old man’s words could still get me hard and her wet–from a such a distance.

6. If you could change something, they way people think about one idea or how they feel about a subject, what would it be?

Their own importance, intelligence and permanence. We are much dumber than what we suspect we are; we are around just long enough to become a nuisance, and are about as important and noticeable as a flea’s fart. Unfortunately, that won’t change. Never has. So that is not really your question. I guess I still feel like Larry Ferlinghetti: I’d like to destroy all nationalisms without killing anybody.