Author: Kate

Posted on by

On the Run

Swimming up slowly
Inner eyelids tangy kiss of orange
Fizzes gently in the black

What colour the eyes?
Mix together blue, black and orange.
What colour does that make?

Suddenly, bright blue is all there is in the room!

Retina and ceiling
taught tightrope pylons.

Blue is exhaled to steel.

The pangy kiss of the black
Threatens the heart
Steel blue eyes search out…

Search out
Search out
Search out…

Shoes!
(There they are!)
Up and out!
Shoes for running
Up and out!
Run from
Run toward
Run from
Run toward
Run from
Run toward
From
Toward
From
Toward

Run, run, run
From
From…

from…

Steel blues exhale…

Swim under easily
Tangy orange kisses flutter only slightly
Fizzle in the black.

© Kate Buttery 2012

Posted on by

Battleground

The video quality is a little, er,  hand-spun. Kate performing her work-in-progress Poem/Spoken word Battleground. It’s one of those works that keeps slipping between versions without landing anywhere. This is its incarnation (after a major re-write) earlier in 2012 at Open Studio in Northcote at the Letterbox Music Residency series.  Thanks to Vic Farrell and Sarah Breen for making this performance happen.

Words and Music © Kate Buttery 2011/2012

Posted on by

Spin

Spin – a short film by John Davey

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aWKJPwC_eTM%3Fstart%3D647%26end%3D711

Scene 6
Jane (played by Kate) on Foreshore.
The soundtrack for this scene is also played by Kate.

© John Davey 2009

Posted on by

Pear Shaped

Image for Pear Shaped Poem © Kate Buttery 2012When it all goes pear-shaped
What shape is the pear?
Is it square?
The shape of the pear?

When it all goes pear-shaped
Tear out your hair
The weather’s not fair
In the shape of the pear.

When it all goes pear-shaped
Does anyone care?
Or see despair
In the shape of the pear?

When it all goes pear-shaped
Sit and stare
Stuck in the chair
The shape of the pear.

When it all goes pear-shaped
What do you wear
No clean clothes spare
With the shape of the pear.

When it all goes pear-shaped
Nobody’s there
Grin and bear
The shape of the pear.

When it all goes pear-shaped
What shape is the pear?
Is it square?
The shape of the pear?

© Kate Buttery 2012

Posted on by

Time Machine Merry Unbirthday (after Sharon Olds’ I go back to May 1937)

Sculpt me a time machine my love

To take me back to that stifling loungeroom
Twinsets and pearls a-plenty to go round
Where the unhappy jewess, buttoned up tight
Buttered up by stifling loungeroom smiles
Prepares for her future life.

Give me your time machine! Please! My love!
Give me the means to tear the twinset, tear the twin away,
scatter the pearls and scream “RUN, JEWESS, RUN”

Your time machine is nice my love,
mixed media, found objects, epoxy resin
the art of escape.

I do not celebrate my birthday anymore,
I just seethe and write hatemail poetry.

© Kate Buttery 2012