Leave it to the Japanese to give the world one of the hippest, cutest, most with it girl bands in the universe: “Puffy”–a two girl combo (Ami and Yumi) that’s cool, smart, and empowered. What first started as an 8-island phenom has now taken N.Y.C. by storm (I saw “Puffy” posters glowing in little pleasant islands of light the last time I wandered aimlessly in the wee hour Apple, hopelessly jet lagged, terminally male, angst-ridden, alone and lost) and has spawned its own cartoon on Cartoon Network that my daughter adores. Reading That Tiny Insane Voluptuousness by Elisa Gabbert & Kathleen Rooney reminds me of attending a “Puffy” concert–indeed, reading these poems, I can’t help but think that if they were set to music, they’d rocket these two to cult status on the thinking woman’s circuit. Here’s just one example (which I picked in honor of the month that has just left us here in Japan):

Cruelest Month Quatorzain

I’ve drawn up a list of best practices
for those whose MO’s are smart-not-careful,
according to these complicated matrices
where x=sharp & y=killful,

carved into my desktop w/a single scissor.
Ordering ornamental trees online
is another way to kill time, if your job is miser-
y incarnate. Rain clouds in the east incline

as though to crush me. That means spring
represents the sublime, sprung from a trap
like the ghost of a rabbit, the meadowy king
of things that multiply. Small birds flap

around in the sky, ultimately meaningless.
There’s nothing left to address/confess.

There’s 104 total pages and most of them are filled with brain-blitzing like this (or better!) chock a block with references to literature and pop culture! Plus there’s a great shot of Elisa and Kathleen chowing down at a party. If they can find a drummer and borrow the keyboardist from the B-52s,–Puffy move over!

Otoliths publishes That Tiny Insane Voluptuousness in a paper back, perfect bound, POD Lulu edition. For more info go to: http://the-otolith.blogpot.com. To read more great stuff from Elisa Gabbert & Kathleen Rooney, check out their Ahadada e-chapbook on this site.