The Sharp Electrode Piercing Sparks of Katie Powers

When I was in Jr. High School shop class, they demonstrated how spark plugs work, and I remember looking into the sparks like a young stoner and seeing a girl dancing around in there with sharp hyper-fast movements.

Recently, I was asked to guest VJ at a local night club. When I work, sometimes I pick out my favorite person in the crowd, and perform directly to them. I picked out a girl, it seemed like I had seen her before, but I couldn't figure out where. After the set, I got a chance to talk to her. Her name was Katie Powers and her father was an electrician. ZAP! My brain made the connection, she was the girl dancing in the spark of the Jr. High School spark plug. This was a special girl, how often do you get to meet someone directly out of your Jr. High School subconscious?

I made the card below for Katie, The Sharp Electrode Piercing Sparks Of Katie Powers. Katie is a beautiful, tiny and tough girl who got suspended from Jr. High School for beating up her Phys Ed teacher. Fuckin' A! I put it in the poem.

Later, I was in a store buying a gift for Katie, and the saleswoman wanted me to describe her. I said, "Imagine a giant, galaxy-sized distributor cap..." I was dressed like a slob and the saleswoman looked at me like, "this guy is just one step away from the insane ramblings of a homeless person." I learned an important life lesson that day: if you are going to talk crazy shit, dress your best! There is a fine line between the musings of a well-groomed creative visionary and the ramblings of a psychotic homeless slob.

The Sharp Electrode Piercing Sparks Of Katie Powers

Imagine a giant, galaxy-sized distributor cap,

ignition wires fanning out like spiral arms of the milky way

powering huge, supernova-sized “Champion” brand spark plugs, ZAP!

...and in that firecracker-cracking, thunderclap a-clapping conduit G A P

darting between stark, high-speed sparks of electro-imagination

is a neon nymph-e electric pixie dancing with shocking orange stockings

singing the stinging, ZZZzzz... red fire-fly breakin’-me-heart blues of hues,

& busting non-stop trip-hop acid-trance dance moves, YEA!

These are the sharp electrode piercing sparks of Katie Powers.

Not crude caveman, UG! UG! rub-two-sticks-together smokin’ chokin’, COUGH! COUGH! flint fires,

nor weak computer geek freak programing with silicone-chip bits of micro-static electricity,

but powerful, knock-your-Jr.-High-Phys-ed-teacher-on-their-ass jolts of volts crackling in high power lines

wired directly to loner me, stoner me, SSSsss... tripping on zipping Spencer Gift plasma balls,

and the electrocution cutie-pie hair-standing-on-end Discovery World surprise in your eyes.

These are the sharp electrode piercing sparks of Katie Powers.

By TJ Richter

© February 3, 2006 Theodore J. Richter