I first met Tony Plocido… geez, seven years ago? We met at a midnight
poetry reading in KC, in what was to be my introduction to the spoken word
performance/slam poetry scene.
Since then, I’ve seen Tony perform many times, and have even been
privileged to read new work on occasion when he needed feedback. It was through
Tony and other poets in that circle that I’ve come to really appreciate
performance poets, whose work places a whole different set of demands on them
than if they were merely scribbling things down.
But from the get-go, I could see and appreciate Tony’s lack of ego. He was
just as happy to speak other people’s words as he was his own, to write and
perform duets with other poets, and to tirelessly promote other artists whose
work he believes in. His poetry is honest, funny, self-deprecating, warm, and
above all, true. This comes as no surprise, since Tony carries these qualities
with him always. With his work, what you see is what you get, which, in the
poetic world, can be incredibly refreshing. I’m pleased to say that it shines
through in his first (mostly) solo collection, Aging and Other Side Projects.
Because of that spirit of collaboration, two of the poems in this
collection were written with other poets. But Tony’s voice, with its wry, clear-eyed
observations, is definitely the centerpiece. Upon
reaching age forty, he explores multiple aspects of aging: the loss of loved
ones (including pets), the vanishing of youthful dreams, the way that
relationships never seem to get any easier. It also examines the way in which
the world seems to speed up around us, and, perhaps most disconcertingly, how
we cease to recognize the face in the mirror. It’s been said that getting old
is not for sissies, and Tony cuts right to the heart of the axiom with this
short but sharp little book.
“Biko Kitty” broke my heart. “Breathing the Story,” (written with
Prim-One), knocked me out with these kick-ass lines:
I long to tell stories
that will breathe when I cannot.
That dance
when my feet fail me.
That sing in notes
only known to those who have felt
me love.
That will remember love
when the world has forgotten it.
That will form over the wounds
of the broken, like fresh flesh
mending them…
Given the nature of spoken word performance pieces, of course, these
poems are best read aloud—it’s the best way to enjoy the incremental repetitions,
the alliteration, the slanted and internal rhymes. But it is a testament to the
poets’ skill that they can be enjoyed just as well in silence, a voice speaking
so matter-of-factly inside your head, it’s like they’re right there talking to
you. Even if you’ve never met them, they’re already old friends, and this is a cozy
chat over coffee, one where you find yourself constantly nodding along in
agreement.
Purchase Aging and Other Side Projects on Lulu here.
Connect with Tony:
Twitter: @teeplo