September 10th, 2010 – “Below, Above and Beyond” – John Hawaka Solo Exhibition

Exhibition duration: September 10 – September 30, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday, September 10 @ 7:00pm

I was six years old when I found out that nobody I loved was made of flesh. A day after my parents told me we were moving away from Madras, I discovered that my best friend was really a pile of dry leaves.

Bib wrapped warmly around your neck.
A single plate, sole fruit cut
into tender pieces; you are not delicate
with the feast before you.
Mighty fork, your small fist wrangled
‘round its neck (if the hand
could take without the finality of grasping)
this blunt tool of hunger.
Enjoying one of the last tomatoes of the season
as any young child can:
after the fork fails its steel clattered pillage
( patience waning )
you pluck yourself the battered flesh
by a sticky sliver of rind—
such naive guzzling— and after the last morsel
is swallowed, you take
the plate to your lips and devour the …

I
the trees look like nets capturing sunlight.
they are so greedy
and delicious
the sap ambers over your head
like a syrupy halo.
O look,
your head
is a stack
of pancakes.
And I am
a fork and knife
ready to dig in.
The trees in the forest
Are like niggers
Torturing sunlight with their skin
Spinning their dances in the wind
Is there enough
syrup for them?
II
There are thirty of them
Throwing rocks through
The broken windows
Smashing my thighs
to bits
The pieces of thigh
are bacon
sizzling on the ground
Your tongue is
scrambled eggs
hot
scrambled eggs
which burn my tongue
The abrasion
tastes of
tastelessness
The trees laugh
like angry street children
I am embarrassed
but, more so I am concerned
that …

This summer turned out to be wholly reckless. I made time for my bad habits in and around stretches of responsible behavior. They’re not really that bad… I mean whiskey in the summer? It’s the only thing that takes the edge off the heat. It gives me something to chat about other than the obvious…

“How I Spent My Summer Vacation” sounds like an essay a third grader would write. Just imagine that nervous little girl: a Dora the Explorer t-shirt, a purple skirt whose hem ends below the knees, and shoulder length brown hair adorned with a little red bow. And imagine her, legs shaking, mouth full of anxious saliva, breaking into song: “Straight outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube/From the gang called Niggaz With Attitudes” I’m not saying that NWA provided me with my summer anthem, just that I was amused by …

After taking the train from New Brunswick all the way to Montreal, I am convinced that flying would have been the fastest and easiest option. Amtrak’s Adirondack line follows the Hudson River Valley and Adirondack mountains, starting from Penn Station in New York, and traveling through Albany, and Saratoga Springs to Montreal. The trip takes twelve hours on a good day and nearly fourteen when the Canadian Border Patrol takes a particular interest in a couple of passengers. Despite the length of the journey, and how much faster flying from …

When the heat takes over, most people don’t think of drowning themselves in food, but rather cold beer and mixed drinks. This summer, through sweat and an unstuffed wallet, I discovered the best of the best of food and drinks.
Mac ‘n Cheese:
My mother’s mac ‘n cheese, which I nicknamed “birthday pasta” over a decade ago, will always be superior to all others, but E.A.T. Café’s (1064 Madison Avenue) is easily one of my next favorites. Despite the price tag of an outstanding sixteen dollars, the dish is worthwhile. The macaroni …

I only had two goals this summer: to find a job and to volunteer at my newly constructed local library. It is now the middle of August and I can confirm that the job hunt went…terrible. However, I’m not completely upset by this since I achieved my second goal, which became one of my summer highlights.
For three weeks in July, Monday through Wednesday, I worked on art-related activities with children and adults at the Plainsboro Public Library. The events I volunteered for were “A-Team Mondays”, “Artful Conversations”, and building the …

Every day on my way to and from school, I treat myself to the distinct pleasure of strolling through Lafayette Square and past the front gates of the White House. Picking my way through crowds of people clad in Bermuda shorts and fanny packs reminds me not only of where I am, but how I got there…