Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) is a collection of forty-eight of Lawrence Berger's instant poems. He has performed some of the poetry on stages along the West Coast and in upstate New York. But what is instant poetry? Some of these intriguing works were created by the author based upon people calling out words and sentences at his interactive poetry readings. Upon hearing these audience contributions, he fashioned a poem built around them. Other poems in the collection were written around the event described in the poem. Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) offers a unique experience in poetry and creativity. Escape of the Lost Angel (for G. C.) Rising Like the phoenix from the cleansing flames. Demon hands clawing at the purest spirit to snuff out the light. He who summons tries in vain And the lost angel wings his way home. A chain forged of blood wraps itself around his skull. A last -ditch effort to keep his spirit bound yet, down though the centuries, it is his will that has been strengthened. The horns fall away And the lost angel wings his way home.
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More About the Author
I've been a Working Poet since 1999. The third edition of my book Instant poetry (Just Add Words!) Is now avalible. Check it out! Here's a sample poem:
Donation$
by "Laughing" Larry Berger
Excuse me folks
My name is Lawrence Richard Berger
and I'm a proponant of reverse pan handeling.
Would you like some change?
No really would you?
You see
as I walk down the street on my way to the bus stop
I allways pass the same three people
It never fails
they are there every single day.
The first one has a chain around his neck .
It's held there not with a lock nut with a banjo.
The second one is a man of color.
Not black, but silver from head to toe!
I found out recently his name is Tron.
The third had his legs blown off in Vietnam
and they all have cups in thier hands begging
for change.
I've learned somthing from living in the area.
I've learned its really money they are after.
they count on the fact that people will through coins inthe cups
as if to say " Here take my money and go away! hit the snooze bar! I don't need your wake up call!"
Like I saud I've lived in the area for a while now.
I've gotten to know them and they've gotten to know me.
They know that as a poet
I don't have a lot of money
and all I can offer them is change.
neat huh?
buy the book.
Donation$
by "Laughing" Larry Berger
Excuse me folks
My name is Lawrence Richard Berger
and I'm a proponant of reverse pan handeling.
Would you like some change?
No really would you?
You see
as I walk down the street on my way to the bus stop
I allways pass the same three people
It never fails
they are there every single day.
The first one has a chain around his neck .
It's held there not with a lock nut with a banjo.
The second one is a man of color.
Not black, but silver from head to toe!
I found out recently his name is Tron.
The third had his legs blown off in Vietnam
and they all have cups in thier hands begging
for change.
I've learned somthing from living in the area.
I've learned its really money they are after.
they count on the fact that people will through coins inthe cups
as if to say " Here take my money and go away! hit the snooze bar! I don't need your wake up call!"
Like I saud I've lived in the area for a while now.
I've gotten to know them and they've gotten to know me.
They know that as a poet
I don't have a lot of money
and all I can offer them is change.
neat huh?
buy the book.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Instant Poetry (Just add Words) A Great Book!,
By Leeroy "LR" (Shanghai) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) (Paperback)
Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) By Larry Berger is a collection of forty eight poems that were all written or performed by him way back in 1996. This is the third edition. Although the book is a quick read, poems can be read several times, I even tried reading them out loud. Overall the collection has a cheeky but solemn feel to it. Some poems like Green Tea Ice Cream and Exercising are tongue in cheek, satirical pieces that speak to the modern man and almost pat him on the back and murmur 'Its OK, it's not that bad" These kind of poems cheer you up and are recommended after a horrible day in the office.
After reading this I thought of Lawrence Berger as a voice of the middle class American man, but at times he steps out of his suburban surroundings and dips his quill in some classic literature to comment on. The poem Diana's Dawn is a standout and breaks up the repetition of narrative and perspective well. Re-creating an alternative Greek Mythology in a postmodern narrative is no small feet! Most of the poems speak directly to the masses touching on pop culture and the common struggle of the street life that I have only seen in Hollywood action movies and exaggerated Hip Hop music. He paints a clearer more accurate picture of the LA lifestyle in simple short free flowing verse and moves in and of experiences and memories. For me the most effective and standout poem is Rock Star, this is a complex piece that uses mixed imagery. The first three stanzas are thick with meaning and the final two we are brought back to the modern middle class narrative, in order to shape and redefine the meaning in our own real life terms. This piece, like so many in the book, is short but sweet. Bergers' voice is not the muttering complaints of another middle class suburban American, but more of an appreciation and analysis of peculiar and often ignored individuals. He has managed to critique and dive into the modern mans life. Stepping into the shoes of poverty stricken beggars, poking fun at fashion and religion and he even poking fun at Winnie The Pooh, cleverly morphing it into his own world. The poems in Instant Poetry (just add words) are at first light hearted, funny little free flowing words that will make you smile, but as you look deeper into the social commentary, you'll be surprised what you'll find! This is a great book!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and creative!,
By Mayra Calvani "Multi-genre author and reviewer." (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) (Paperback)
I was intrigued when I received a copy of this poetry chapbook for review. It isn't the typical poetry book. The author, `Laughing' Larry Berger, `wrote' or improvised these poems onstage as part of an audience participation free verse sets at coffee houses in Los Angeles in 1996.
It isn't easy to write poetry, much less improvise it in front of an audience, which is why I was delighted to discover Berger's wit, imagination, and flair for language. The verses, some as short as a few lines and some long enough for two pages, explore various subjects and themes, from fun and light to serious and transcendent. A good example of the author's lighter poems is "Bubble Gum." It catches a moment, a single snapshot of pure joy. Soft and warm between my teeth, an old lover returns sweet and tangy inside my mouth. Over and over she dances, building evermore desire. Slowly she turns up the heat, stoking the fires until her passions no longer confinable She EXPLODES, releasing the rapture of the moment! And then She slides along my tongue For one More Tango A recurring theme in this work is the idea that modern men are trapped, caged, slaves and prisoners of their own cars and apartments. The following stanza is from "Leprosy." Rotting corpses walking down the street are they really so different from you and me? They get up, go to work, come home, all in steel and concrete coffins. In other poems, such as "Four Thousand Years Ago (The Crack Baby's Prayer)," the author takes a philosophical look at life, presenting the reader with a grim picture of society, injustice, and the violence inflicted by humans throughout history. Berger uses the symbolic metaphor of rivers red with blood--this metaphor, by the way, is also recurrent in some of his other poems. Some of my favorite poems in this book are the ones where Berger captures one single moment of happiness in a world where disaster looms in every corner. For example, in "Green Tea Ice Cream," which is about the prediction that the world will end in 2012, Berger ends the verse with: Right now I've got my green tea ice cream I'm happy. There are a several memorable lines in this collection. This from "Ten Foot Pole." Thousands homeless or out of work, downing Anti-depressant medication As that statue out in the harbor Spreads her legs to the world. The following, my favorite, is from "Stop Laughing!" To stop laughing is to resign ourselves to coffins of skin! I'm not sure if Berger meant to leave his best poem for last, but "Cold KFC in N.Y.C." was definitely the best for me. The poem, which reads like a story, is about a man who has just been mugged in Grand Central: You see an hour ago I was kissing concrete back at Grand Central with the barrel of a .357 shoved into the back Of my skull. The man, who has just missed death, goes back to his crummy, cold flat and collapses from terror and exhaustion. Later he wakes up hungry and the only thing left in his fridge is some cold KFC leftovers. Berger ends the poem--and the book--with: And folks I've got to tell you! ROAD KILL NEVER TASTED SO GOOD! Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) is a collection of forty-eight poems. I was surprised at the author's creativity, good humor, and, at times, depth about the human condition. Some of these poems were performed on stage along the West Coast and New York and were created in interactive poetry readings. It is a unique and ingenious concept. I don't read poetry often but I found Instant Poetry engaging and interesting. If you enjoy poetry and would like to try something different, I recommend you grab a copy of this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Live Poetry,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Instant Poetry (Just Add Words!) (Paperback)
Instant Poetry is a terrific little book that will make you laugh and think. The subtitle is "Just Add Words" but all the words, just the right words, are already there on the page. Larry Berger says these poems were created on stage live in interaction with his audience. Certainly, this work has the presence, immediacy and verve of being live. A must read.
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