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GK from IN

Poets from Indiana, George Kalamaras


Surrealism made its way to Indiana? Yes, it did in the work of George Kalamaras (and yes, I know we can argue about the term, but the surrealist influence is clear in his work.). Kalamaras was born in Chicago, but he grew up right down the road from me in Cedar Lake and even went to college at IU. He headed west to Colorado after that and then back east to NY; however, he found his way back to Indiana and taught for over 30 years at Purdue in Fort Wayne. He even had a stint as the Poet Laureate of Indiana. It was during that period that I saw him read his work at a former hardware store converted into an art center in Hammond. He has published books with many great small presses like Cervena Brava, Dos Madres, and Pavement Saw. 

Here is an excerpt from "The Madness of Michael Mistakes." The entire poem can be found in his book To Sleep in the Horse's Belly.

                            What word,
what fracture of color, did you see

those last twenty years when you were institutionalized
and babbled moon to moon. Some said it was just another

poem. The wind knew better, bringing
the clockflower into your mouth so you could

tell time by the seasons.
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