the louderARTS Project

Emanuel Xavier

Emanuel Xavier is the author of the poetry collection, Pier Queen, and the Lambda Literary Award nominated debut novel, Christ-Like, both reflecting his experiences growing up gay and Latino in the suburbs of Brooklyn and raised by the many houses of New York City's legendary West Side Highway piers (a la "Paris is Burning").

Emanuel Xavier's work has also appeared in Drumvoices Revue, Urban Latino Magazine, James White Review, New Rican Voices, Men on Men 7, Blood & Tears, Besame Mucho, Virgins, Guerrillas & Locas and Of The Flesh. His work has been widely published in both gay and mainstream publications and he has been commissioned to perform throughout the United States.

He has performed at venues as diverse as: Washington Square Park, American Crafts Museum, Barnes & Noble, Queensborough Public Library, Dixon Place, Columbia University, DePaul University, St. Mark's Poetry Project, Irving Plaza, The Henry Miller Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Le Petit Theatre and Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where he became a two-time Grand Slam winner. He has produced several spoken word events such as the Realness & Rhythms poetry series, the annual Glam Slam and the Words To Comfort benefit for the World Trade Center Relief Fund. He has appeared on PBS's "In The Life," on the cover of Lambda Book Report, modeled for Diesel in Urban Latino, been immortalized in a portrait by celebrated artist James De La Vega, and in 2000 was selected one of PAPER magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People."

Emanuel Xavier is the recipient of a Marsha A. Gomez Cultural Heritage Award for his contributions to gay and Latino culture, and has been selected as Poet Laureate of the 2002 Brooklyn Pride celebration.

letters at emanuelxavier dot com
www.emanuelxavier.com

NEWFOUND MORALITY

Offering myself to the night
to be devoured sweetly
with hunger in my belly
        hunger in my heart
Alcohol loosening the contours of my pride
inhaling the thick smoke of a cigarette
like a roughneck of undistinguished personality
I give myself to you without price  
more than just pretext or occasion
aware that life always puts frailty
in vulgar positions
Waking up the next morning
when fatigue flushes me with tenderness
that makes me horny
to allow you to penetrate me deeply
ramming it hard and calmly
marked like stigmata
Stroking myself until I discharge the most profuse joy
into the toothless mouth of Jean Genet's dead body
The motionless unclean coils of a writhing serpent
emerge from your eyes and spread to your face
as you cum inside the walls of your prison cell
to fulfill me with newfound morality

© Emanuel Xavier

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