I have been doing Chaos Poetry for 15 years.
I haven't always called it that. In fact, the practice itself is even older than 15 years. It goes back generations. One could argue that Catholicism, the faith and tradition in which I was raised, is a colonized / colonizing expression of it. All Chaos Poetry really is is harnessing a collective consciousness co-created between two (or more) beings through talking story and putting that story into some a poetic form. And Catholicism is an imperial patriarchal colonized / colonizing amalgamation of incredible, culturally-diverse consciousnesses.
The tradition is simple and was introduced to me through the Confessional Booth. One person sits on one side of a "barrier," and another on the other side. One person has perceived power. The other (somewhat) trusts that power will not be misused and lets down their guard. The most authentic exchange comes from both people playing a "role," one they both believe to be true. The most liberatory result is some sort of witnessing by both people.
Let me be clear, the Confessional Booth was not this experience for me. In fact, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of a colonizing power maintaining domination and control over whole populations / countries of people under the One True (Man-Made) God. But buried underneath it all is a sacred ritual performed by (queer and trans) mystics all over the world: The act of bearing witness to the truth that emerges from the space-time between.
Chaos Poetry is an expression of this Queer Magic / Mysticism.
First, Chaos Poetry is always FREE.
I have been paid by event producers to do a durational performance. I have accepted (and do accept) tips. AND...no one needs to pay a dime to actually have a conversation to co-create a poem. The "price," so to speak, is the conversation. The exchange is the poem.
Second, Chaos Poetry is about consent.
Every party must consent to the process, and the process is not for everyone. As the conversation unfolds, people can choose to respond to questions or not. Some have even ended the conversation entirely (as some topics can get a bit too personal.) I do not craft (or share) poems from conversations with people who have not given consent.
Third, Chaos Poetry is role playing.
For the process to function in non-extractive, non-exploitative ways, I must model that which I am asking others to engage with, namely intimacy and vulnerability in (semi-)public settings. For me, this is a "role" that I must prepare for and step into. While being me (aka practicing intimacy and vulnerability) is natural, "being me" is also a "role" I "play". When I step into the public sphere, I am not simply being me. I am "playing" my "being" in the "role" of "Queer-Poet-Mystic." This is a role of perceived power, and I must conduct my being in such a way that shares power rather than hoards it. At places like a festival, an art opening, a gala, or a tenants' rights workshop (all places where I've done Chaos Poetry), the audience expects artists to play a role. And, in my experience, it is easier to share when the relationship between those sharing is more easily understood. Thus, I step into my artist role of "Queer-Poet-Mystic" to also (aesthetically and ethically) show who my intended audience is (aka what role I am expecting others to play.)
Fourth, Chaos Poetry is birthed from the patterns inherent in the Cosmic Mysteries.
What emerges in the time-space generated by talking story are underlying truths believed by both people. These underlying truths represent Cosmic Mysteries. My job after we have finished talking story is to look for patterns within our shared experience as a means to compose a poem that reveals those Cosmic Mysteries. These Cosmic Mysteries are not my own, nor are they the other person's, so the resulting poem is not simply just a rehashing of our conversation. Rather, it exists as a manifestation of a specific space-time that can never be replicated and simultaneously represents that which connects us / runs through us (all).
Below are the Chaos Poems co-created on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at Haight-Ashbury Street Fair. I've also included some videos created leading up to, on the day of, and reflecting upon Haight-Ashbury Street Fair. If you'd like to stay more up-to-date on current Queerly Complex content, please make sure to follow me on Instagram.
This all wouldn't be possible without the tireless organizing efforts of San Francisco artist Andrea Fuenzalida (follow her on Instagram.) She's been organizing a cadre of artists for the last five years, and I am honored to count myself among so fabulous people still making and creating art right here in Yelamu / San Francisco.
And thank you for reading these words, subscribing to the QC newsletter, and co-creating this Queerly Complex Cosmos with me!