Dain Brammage has been writing and performing poetry since about the year 2000. His work is often derived from placing himself in someone else’s shoes and writing from their perspective. This may be because from eighth grade to tenth grade DB moved with his family across the USA. Starting in Monterey, California and moving to McCall, Idaho, then Picayune, Mississippi and finally Albany, New York.
Performing his poetry has been a passion and one of the primary reasons he started to take writing seriously in the first place. As he writes the words often come to him as a performance. When he is travelling on vacations with his family he finds an open mic to attend and share what he has in common with locals, poetry.
Dain Brammage has an affinity for poetry slams, having been a Slammaster for Albany Poets Project:SLAM in the past, and currently for the Nitty Gritty Slam in Albany, a collaboration with Albany Poets, Urban Guerilla Theatre and the Frequency North Reading Series. He attended the 2005 Individual World Poetry Slam in Worcester, Massachusetts as a volunteer and was able to perform as a calibration poet, or Slaughtered Lamb, at a qualifying match, served as judge, score-keeper and time-keeper, while he was there. It was one of the highlights of his poetic career.
In the past Dain Brammage was an executive officer for Prysmatic Dreams and The New Word Order, sister organizations that started with a poetry message board and grew into organizations that had conducted two spoken word tours when he resigned. Two of the events, the Net Slam and The Session, took place on a conference call which effectively erased the miles between poets and spoken word artists were among his favorite events with these organiztions. The Whispered Words Poetry Mixtapes are also mention worthy. Dain was the producer and host on the Revolution Mix which is still available to download for free along with the other mixes at whisperedwordspoetry.com.
Dain has been serving as a member of the Board of Directors for Albany Poets for almost ten years. He has helped organize many local projects including the on-going annual Albany Wordfest which takes place in April which is National Poetry Month. As a member of Albany Poets he has performed at LarkFEST, and been involved in the creating the open mics Albany Poets Presents, Poets Speak Loud, and several one-off projects like Under Cover, where poets traded poems and performed each other’s works.
POEMS
RECENT ARTICLES
SOMETIMES
I don’t know about you,
but I have a tendency toward depression,
and when it rears its’ ugly head,
my mind clouds with compulsive obsession.
My brow is furrowed, corners of my mouth turn down,
and before long it is all I can think,
the only way out of this black-hearted spiral,
is to take a toke or perhaps have a drink.
I talk to my friends to cheer my self up,
but that is fleeting and wanes,
I play ball with my dog to steel her joy,
but then she tires…and back comes my pain.
I want the suffering end,
and since I can’t find the source,
I start thinking that driving into a tree,
is my only recourse.
Then I think about my children and my loving devoted wife,
I see there is no way this can be
and feel robbed…cheated and vexed,
tell me, why does this happen to me.
I don’t want to live…but can’t take my life,
surely this serves to portend,
the one thing that’s left,
is for me to seek help once again.
MENTAL REINCARNATION
The echos have stopped,
to quite a large degree,
thanks to medication,
I am feeling almost happy.
From the darkness I am driving,
at a frightfull speed,
running down my demons,
my mind is being freed.
Depression is the culprit,
that placed me under arrest,
Paxil is my lawyer,
and I am quite impressed.
The cuffs have been removed,
my belongings been returned,
and that big manila envelope,
has been joyfully burned.
Freedom from self-destruction,
freedom from the pain,
freedom from depression,
I am feeling good again.
SEVEN DEADLY SINS
It all starts with lust
For my best friends girl
Even though I have my own
The emotions unfurl
I stare at her body
While she’s walking the dog
Lust fills my soul
Rolls in like the fog
Then I see him
And the envy creeps in
I want what he has
I feel this deep within
I must have her
I need a little taste
He has the whole dish
it seems like a waste
Now I am angry
That he should have her
I’m suited better
Maybe an accident should occur
He truly deserves it
I mean how could we be friends
When my girls just a Chrysler
And he has a Benz
Then the greed overtakes me
I want my girl and his too
If I could have both…
Yes!…of this I am due
One is never enough
When you could have two
And if you can have more
Then you know what to do
So I embark on my journey
To bed my best friends chick
I find no resistance
We hit the sheets quick
I can’t get enough
She’s a tigress in the sack
My libido is gluttonous
And she has a satiable knack
After a few hours
Of gymnastics and sex
I lay like a sloth
Feeling the effects
I know I should get moving
But I linger to long
And then HE comes in
For our friendships swan-song
He gives me a chance
To make amends
Hoping I’ll be a man
So we can remain friends
But my pride is thick and pulpy
And I can’t seem to swallow
He kicks my ass out
And now I feel hollow
So I go my church
And confess my deadly sins
I was fully repentant
But they will begin once again
For this is a cycle
I have repeated many times
I’m glad they’re just sins
And not federal crimes
BARBIE VS. KEN
Say it isn’t so, I knew that she was a slut!
That breast reduction surgery was just another front
Barbie’s giving Ken the boot oh what a sad sad day,
They were an institution for my childhood play.
Alright, I admitted it, I used to play with dolls,
Making Ken fuck Barbie, in spite of the names I was called.
Maybe the little gay children had it apropos,
With Ken down on hands and knees under G.I. Joe.
CLEANLINESS VS. GODLINESS
Cleanliness is next to Godliness?
Who thought up this little jewel?
One of the puritans no doubt.
I want to relate this to
Bathroom policies and practices,
Specifically the washing of hands.
First, I am all for employees having to was their hands
Before returning to work,
Especially in the food service industry.
I am not too sure about housekeeping though
Because their hands are always in some type
Of industrial cleaner, they are lucky to still have skin.
But you know, food services people
Do have to wear those plastic gloves now,
So maybe they could forego the hand washing
And get back to making my meal sooner.
Because I’m am usually pretty hungry,
And hunger begets impatience.
But in my eyes, all of you people
Who wash your hands and then exit the bathroom by Opening the door with the paper towel are freaks!
I bet you really spaz-out when
All they have are those blow dryers.
Because you know the last person to leave
The bathroom did not wash their hands,
And now you have to grab that filthy handle.
But you know, as long as you do not pee on yourself,
Or bust through the toilet paper as you wipe,
The germs are not really that big of deal.
You know what the say,
That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.
And living in that protective bubble
Actually makes you more susceptible to disease.
I worked with this woman who had a real elaborate plan
For going to the bathroom at work,
She was such a neat-freak that
She was actually proud of herself for this.
She would open the door to the single occupancy bathroom,
Immediately reach in and advance some paper towels
With her sleeve covered forearm.
Tear it off and turn on the light,
Then she would step in, lock the door
And Advance another much longer strip of paper towel
And let it lay in wait.
Turn on the water,
So far she has not come in direct contact with anything.
Then she would hover over the toilet,
When done she would wash her hands
After wasting countless gallons of water,
Turn around and rip the new paper towel,
Dry her hands, turn off the water
Leave the room using the paper towel to open the door.
Now, can you say freak? Man!
Hey, do people actually jump out of bed or off the kitchen Counter and into the shower after having sex?
The reason I ask is that sex is pretty slimy business.
All of those bodily fluids flowing all over the place
Hands and mouths on genitalia.
You know, part where the pee comes from.
We must sanitize our hands after touching there
When we use the bathroom,
But after sex we just roll over and go to sleep.
Well, the guys do anyway.
Hell, I don’t even go into the bathroom after
Making love to my wife.
Well, maybe to gargle,
If I have a pubic hair stuck in my throat.
But that is a comfort issue,
It is hard to fall asleep going (clearing your throat noise),
Not at all related to cleanliness.
And what about all the people who into ass play?
They are messing with some pretty nasty stuff.
I bet a good portion of those people
Do go clean up after sex,
But not all of them.
So, cleanliness is next to godliness?
Maybe if you are priest,
But I bet even they do not wash up after sex.
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