The Buffalo Return

Rebecca OUP-US

I am excited welcome back the Buffalo Poets. We had so much fun with them during Poetry Month we invited them back to share their art once a month. Enjoy!

Noah Levin

When I got word I was not just pleased, I was really genuinely excited. And it wasn’t just me either you know, but everyone at the Buffalo Readings and hopefully now, you too. That’s right, we’re quite excited because every last Friday of the month you will now get to see the many poets of the Buffalo Readings posting our own slants and artful takes of the world on the OUP Blog: regular scheduled Poetry! I have to admit we all really enjoyed our stint during National Poetry Month, showering you the readers of this blog with our various fits of knowledge, poetry, video, arts, crafts and anything else of interest we thought we could wrap into a gift post for the OUP blog and we are now all very excited about our announced continuing efforts for you, the reader.

In honor of our officially starting as a regular monthly contributor to the OUP Blog, I’d like to submit to you the following poem that I wrote several years ago when we first opened a chapter of the Buffalo out on the West Coast. Although the poem was written in dedication to that particular event, it is a poem that I feel sums up the spirit & mindset of the many Buffalo Poets.

So here you go, on the Buffalo’s maiden regularly scheduled posting on the OUP Blog I present to you the following:

Dedication To The West Coast Buffalo
By Noah Levin

3,000 miles may separate but the
spirit is immeasurable by lengths
of land although created in the
gleam of the fires of The Bronx
that warmed our bodies but
inflamed our gasoline laden souls.
But the match has sparked in a
distance in the land 3 hours before
now – so stand strong amongst the
heard ‘cause the others are a
bunch of sightless bastards that
we Buffalo unite against in our
loathing even as their fire emits
the night’s darkness in a way that
flickers shadows of soulless
nothing even in front of those who
have sight.

Lead the charge in the land that
faces the other way to its ocean;
but yet face the correct way,
everyway, for all things of the
spiritual warrior and lay low the
naysayers who do not and will not
understand until a candy teflon
coating composes everything we
must digest.

I like my poison with vinegar
because it makes me stronger and
I’ll stare down the fool who gave
it to me ‘till I lay dead on the
earth that conceived me.

Our Spirits Unite as our blood
keeps us individuals.

BUFFALO

Born out of the seedy underbelly of the poetry scene at the turn of the millennium – The Buffalo Poets, known for their unique energy and wit, began hosting open readings as a direct reaction to Slam Poetics and cookie cutter style poets found in New York City.Hailing originally from New York City, the Buffalo are composed of four core members: Roger Kenny aka King Otho, Aaron Arnout, Noah Levin and David Acevedo. The Buffalo have many artists throughout America including, James Honzik, Michael Franklin, Kevin Callahan and the infamous activist Rafael Bueno.