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Excerpt: Crow-Blue, Crow-Black
Gotham teacher Chip Livingston has recently seen the publication of his poetry collection Crow-Blue, Crow-Black.

The collection crosses traditional Native American narrative and incantatory styles with the quick-witted street poems of the New York School, and it takes a kind of geographical journey, traveling from the Northern to Southern Hemisphere.

You can read a poem from the collection below. You can view a video of Chip reading the poem here.
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“Evolution” by Chip Livingston
 
Anne Hathaway is becoming Audrey Hepburn.

Ed Harris is becoming Harvey Keitel.

Harvey Keitel is becoming Dennis Hopper.

Dennis Hopper, after briefly becoming Charles Bukowski, is becoming Robert De Niro, but unfortunately the De Niro that De Niro became, of Meet the Fockers and Analyze That, and not the De Niro of Taxi Driver (or even Cape Fear) that De Niro was. 

Liv Tyler is becoming Liz Taylor.

Delta Burke, who thought she would become Liz Taylor, is becoming Rip Taylor, and Elizabeth Taylor is becoming Delta Burke.

Gary Coleman is becoming Danny Bonaduce, and vice versa.  (What you talking about, Ricky Schroder?)

Katie Holmes is becoming Lisa Marie Presley, but at a slightly slower pace than Tom Cruise is becoming Michael Jackson.

Nicole Kidman tried to become Jessica Lange but is becoming Joan Rivers.

Lindsay Lohan is becoming Britney Spears.

Britney Spears is becoming Paula Abdul.

Amy Winehouse is becoming Janis Joplin, who was whom Courtney Love was hoping to become, but Courtney Love became David Lee Roth.

David Lee Roth became a real estate agent, which is similar to but not exactly the same thing as Erik Estrada becoming a spokesman for California recreational properties and the California Highway Patrol.

Jeff Buckley, Kurt Cobain, and Heath Ledger are becoming Jim Morrison, Elvis, and James Dean.

Joaquin Phoenix, who became Leaf before re-becoming Joaquin, is becoming River Phoenix.

Rufus Wainwright became Judy Garland, but only for one night.

Liza Minnelli is becoming Liberace.

Tony Randall: Debbie Reynolds.

Alec Baldwin wanted to become Marlon Brando but is becoming David Hasselhoff.

Rachael Ray is becoming Tony Danza.

Martha Stewart is becoming Rachael Ray.

Tyra Banks is becoming Farrah Fawcett.

So is George Michael.

Sarah Jessica Parker is becoming Bette Midler, who has become something between the Wayland Flowers puppet Madame and Jean Smart.

Brian Williams is becoming Peter Jennings.

Friendster, MySpace, and Match.com are becoming Facebook, which is becoming Alcoholics Anonymous, choir practice, happy hour, and the new Solitaire.

Manhunt is still Manhunt, though, and that’s reassuring.

As is Sean Penn still being Sean Penn, Harry Crews being Harry Crews, and Devotchka still being Devotchka.

Brad Gooch is becoming Gore Vidal – and must have a painting aging in a closet somewhere that is becoming Dorian Gray.

Tim Dlugos is becoming Frank O’Hara.

And what Frank and Tim and Jim became, we are all of them and us becoming.
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Reprinted by permission of New York Quarterly Books.
For more information on Chip and his book, go here: www.chiplivingston.com


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