Lewis: What Do We Think of This?.
we all thought lewis was our best friend, even when we realized, now not all of us we were his best best friend, but he made you feel that way… and always after the gossip… and how I think this genuine community engagement within poetry is not as common nowadays…. It IS here in NYC with the Poetry Project community, but out in the world, it seems less and less you find someone like lewis committed to the very tangible nature of community – the sidewalk chat, that bumping into you here or there, that introduction he made with someone who was up your alley in poetry – he did all this – without saying he did it or fetishizing but just being humble.
there were two wordless expressions I will always remember of lewis, especially because I have a hearing loss and these can be helpful in a loud bar or party, of which there were many with lewis. remember his expression of rolling his eyes but in a good natured way, never condescending, with a twinkle in his eye? remember he would do his serious look, purse his lips, narrow his eyes as if to say, “now you know you understand this” or “i absolutely understand this” with a dramatic nod of the head or “don’t doubt you understand this”. if i pointed out his facial expressions, i wonder what facial expressions he would have? WHAT DO WE THINK OF THIS EVERYONE?.
Poet-filmmaker STEPHANIE GRAY is author of seven poetry collections, most recently, the chapbook Words Are What You Get/You Do It For Real (above/ground press), the book Shorthand Electric Language Stars (Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs), and the experimental video What You See Is Not What You Heard.