Other Arts

Textural (Margaret Cusack)
Poetry Theatre (Edwin Torres)

Textural Art:
Quilted U.S. Postage Stamp, "We Give Thanks"

When Brooklyn artist, Margaret Cusack, is asked how she got to do a stitched United States postage stamp, she answers matter-of-factly, "I just answered the phone." Cusack was chosen for the project by Scottsdale, Arizona designer, Richard Sheaff, who felt that her stitched illustration style would lend a nostalgic, Americana quality to the new Thanksgiving stamp. When Cusack asked Sheaff how he'd found her, he said, "I've been following your career."

Cusack's stitched artwork has graced the cover of Time magazine, ads, bus posters, children's books, greeting cards and Broadway show posters. Recently, Ravensburger F.X. Schmid, USA chose three of Cusack's images to market as jigsaw puzzles. "We Give Thanks," as well as the rest of her works, can be seen on her website:

The colorful Thanksgiving stamp she designed is actually an 8" x 10" miniature quilt square sewn on her Bernina sewing machine. The words, "We Give Thanks," are stitched above a quilted cornucopia. When several stamps are used together, they combine to form a quilt.

On October 19, 2001, Cusack attended the inauguration and First Day of Issue of "We Give Thanks" at Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, Texas. "I hope all the quilters in the area will help celebrate with me," she said. While in Dallas, Cusack delivered a slide lecture on her artwork, "Illustrating the Fabric of Life." And on October 23, she attended another stamp celebration of "We Give Thanks," a Second Day of Issue, back in her home town at Brooklyn's Borough Hall. An exhibition of her stitched work was also mounted.

Cusack's work is also included in several upcoming art exhibits, including: "Studio Art Quilt Associates," January 23 - February 21, 2002, Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York, and "Piecing the Quilt of Life," March 7- June 3, 2002, South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, South Carolina. For more information on Ravensburger F.X. Schmid, USA jigsaw puzzles: 800.886.1236.

Gecko Suite: An Opera In Three Colors
By Edwin Torres

Gecko Suite is the story of a dreamer lost in a world of his own making. Where Wind and Ground are characters in Gecko’s landscape, it is Vision that questions his destiny. Eventually Vision becomes one with Gecko and brings him back to the beginning, as all stories do.

RED

I: Gecko Is Born Into The World

            the long ago
                        was in the when
of words and
            one long poem ago

                        it was
a poem of
            one world words

            where the story
                        leads to the world
in which it all created
            the into
                        of one poem
            
a long time ago

 

II: Vision Dances With Moonlight as Gecko Dances in Butterlight Garden

Gecko Hugs & Kisses
                        tells me I’m the one an’ only
Gecko Hugs & Kisses
                        me in places I’ve been lonely
Gecko quills me questions
                        quaintly quacks me quite inquizzical
Gecko leaves me tragically
                        and yet I’m no less magical

Gecko says that menless gods
                        are homeless independencies
Gecko says that echos
                        are the gods that we all wanna be
Gecko’s true romance
                        lies in the pants of punks and pansy-cals
Gecko’s transcendental
                        in the rants of runts and radicals

Gecko claims indifference
                        at the innocence of savagery
Gecko claims that magic
                        is the essence of all tragedy
Gecko’s true confession
                        lies inside this mental-lation
Gecko moons the luna
                        sez I am my own sensation

 

WHITE

III: Gecko Laments Rotating Birds As Vision Questions Moonlight

if a moon  /  is what she says
if a moon  /  is next to nothing
if a moon  /  has nothing left
                                    is the sin
                                    of the sun
                                    her song

in my dream  /  your arms are mine
in my dream  /  I hold my body
in my dream  /  your body’s mine
                                    but your bones
                                    and your blood
                                    are gone

           sing me a song of a broken heart
            play the part
            and I’ll save your heart

            sing me a song of a broken heart
            play the part
            and I’ll save your heart

 

IV: Gecko Melts The Sun

I am the unknower
stopped - in a fit unplaced
I have arranged for my bare ride
a glacier of fortitude
directionless but simpled, as if
headless in a having

The unknown
a mount of stop - unbound
sharpened by crystal my
plummage of ice
hold this lens and see
my flight this trail I leave            

            when one has found their fit
            one is forced to reckon with
            the space you left to fit in - you step forward
            your shadow makes a home
            in every new step

            when one chooses
            to become unknown
            one stops to arrange choice
            I have become the choice itself

And I ride
on this convenient denial
melting, as I expose
only the part you see
            
I’ll have melted                         
before you see everything
but you had your chance
when I offered you the sun
to magnify me with

-----------------------------------

IVa: Vision Kills Gecko With The Moon Across His Throat

 

BLACK

V: Stars Form A Constellation

            offstood
            offcharge
            offroar
            offpearls
            offrose
            quick gait
            offlance
            spit striding
            some hand
            sierra lina purr
            offpounce
            forage
            offpuss

 

VI: Ghost Of Old Gecko Remembers His Life As Wind Blows

Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    un conejo muy belloso
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    canta bien y con calorso
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    clun cla clun y canta bomba
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    junta run karan charonta

Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    masque bobo con coroncha
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    masque tonto pero rompa
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    jente niña banda’dentro
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    minta sin talente vengo

Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    siempre limpio para santo
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    si, es lindo pero quanto
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    que mentira nove ciento
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    mentiraso mancharanko

Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    quiere sinta hombre nuevo
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    tiene briza hombre sueño
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    avanico niño viento
Gecko < X.O. > Mento
                                    quiere sangre hombre viejo

                                    ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-yeh
                                    ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-yeh

 

VII: Vision Appears As A Mirage Behind Gecko As Gecko Disappears

                 / relay
                        / screamers
                                    / recount
                                            / rounders
                                                        / yellsters
                                                                   / circlos
                                                                            / revoloose me
                        Cirlos / Revoluses
                                    los luzes, revoluzes
                        G’ener’gia / Dias y Noches / De Lengua            
                                    sensua, sensua, sensua
                        Dua / Cara Cuerpo
                                    pa llerbo, para uerpo, su’erpo
                        El Cielo / Profundo
                                    profundo, no fundo
                        La Cara / Mer / De Se
                                    una puerta, me llama

 

WHITE

VIII: Young Gecko Encounters Mature Gecko In Moonlight Speaking Of Lost Life

            we were strangers in the same sentence

I was alien
I may have come here to receive you
but I never wanted to outlast you

            unfit muzzle roast lichen murk
            how I ember sunk in you
            how the clay splays apart
            at every minute of you

            my shoes are fat thirsty

I was known for battle
a shining of the past
a rock impervious to failure
a scene for seers

abandoned for mystery
my warning
was how I play at your mouth

how I can see
with feelers
that float from my dungeon

I was sent to ride on your back
a ram in the badlands
a prarie on the playfields

 

IX : Vision Sings Love Waltz With Wind

I catch you - destroyed
by everything & still
I’m nothing - destroyed
by everything

I watch you - & still
I catch nothing

I leave you - destroyed
by everything - but
still - I watch you
destroy nothing

by catching - I watch you
by leaving - I catch you

watching
everything - destroyed
by nothing - still
nothing’s destroyed - until
everything

 

X: Wind Protects Vision From Gecko

love  /  is in the air  /  TRUE MIGHT

                        love  /  is in my hair  /  TRUE LIGHT

love  /  is in the stars  /  TRUE NIGHT

                        love  /  is in my arms  /  HOLD TIGHT

love  /  is in the stars  /  TRUE LIGHT

                        love  /  is in my arms  /  TRUE NIGHT

love  /  is in the air  /  HOLD TIGHT

                        love  /  is in my hair  /  TRUE MIGHT

love  /  is in my stare  /  TRUE NIGHT

                        love  /  is in the air  /  TRUE LIGHT

love  /  is in my hair  /  TRUE MIGHT

                        love  /  is in my arms  /  HOLD TIGHT

 

RED

XI: Graffitti Appears In The Sky

The more
We get together
The more we know each other we
Build this energy and you and i
Are beautiful and
We build a circle around the two of us that
Can be penetrated or not penetrated but
We have this figure eight going on
Between us and we don’t need
This tomorrow

 

XII: Vision’s Spirit Floats Overhead as Gecko Plays Basketball With The Planets

Die Ego Self!
Sepulchural Being,
            Sun dial files the day into smaller days - rasp - an hour’s past!
Th’ one
Thone
Thee Own
Prone Best Kiss,
            The golden wrecking ball across cerulean julian augustus semptebrus, too!

Die Ünger Shmérnt!
Lamentable Beingst,
            Beast of Lagrimanz - 28 rants for every one winged!
Wangeled Air
The Engo.I.Stayed and lay down dearn milk for 3 o’clock charmer!

Preened Ripshod Door
Class A, a class operation for the underclassmen,
            Stivung-out, statored, satoried in C G F progs-notics(-ogression)!
Head Neck-Go-Centric
Charlemagnes
Darla pants in marzipanties, silk for 10 o’clock snake!

Why Y’e.G.o. Ego Self!
Sufficient Pighead in the sun,
            Cry you least offended denter, hire the mountain fire - (the mount)!

 

XIII:             Gecko Lost In World Chants For Help
XIII:
            Vision Sings To Soothe Gecko
XIII:
            Gecko Rediscovers Vision
XIII:
            Vision Embraces Gecko

 


the end