LOVE POEMS: - Ming Dinh I. Imagining Hmm. I pause beside her in front of the mirror, on the way to the door. Would this work I wonder? I only reach up to her nose. Kissing could be an awful crick in the neck. And then, there's the thought of being outreached by 6 inches and out massed by 50 lbs.... ooops. Stop that. You're getting too obvious. Just say goodnight and leave before you miss the last Metro or there'll be no end to the awkwardness. Good nite, I had a great evening. I'll call you soon. Run. II. Lust Enchanting words that flow from the mind to the page, then read aloud insinuate her presence, her self into my mind , and I can't stop thinking of her. What is she like, under those old loose, shapeless, winter clothes she wears, behind those glasses that perch on her nose and that smiling, polite face that says "hi, don't come any closer." She writes about her body, leaving no clue as to what she might actually look like. III. Lunch Go ahead, invite her to Dim Sum. Get to know her better. What will she think? Will she say yes? What will she say about the food? What will she wear? What will I wear? Oh my, here we are and her top button keeps coming undone. She keeps fiddling with it. Keep your eyes on her face now, if you let them stray, you'll never get them back. She's so fun to talk to, and the food is going from the carts to the table to her bowl, to her mouth. She's using chopsticks and nothing goes flying through the air, and she doesn't say anything unfortunate about the food either. I'm truly enchanted. IV. Dinner She's cooking me Chinese soup from that Moosewood book. Spinach? They say you can use Spinach as a substitute. Hmm. It tastes quite nice. But it tastes like western cooking. Kinda like the hot & sour soup an ex-lover made for me on our first date... from the Chatelaine cookbook. V. Lust Realized Tumbling together for the first time on her new double bed in her safe, womblike room, surrounded by her art, her self. Discovering at last this elusive body, protected for so long. All the descriptions and allusions and glimpses in the world cannot prepare you for the shock of the first touching, the discovering and learning of the familiar and the strange. How narrow is her face, all planes and angles, now that I can touch it, that it touches mine. Growing up in the western world, one forgets that it reflects itself but not you, that you cannot rely on vision alone, to discover yourself. So that's what stretch marks are like, this delicate tracery of shimmering furrows that flows across her belly, her back, her breasts. They remind me of, of ...tree bark. Yes that's what it looks like. And she's so soft too. Supersoft belly, breasts and thighs you can cuddle into, lose yourself in. This is where the size difference is a definite plus. Where it's not, is that I can't reach everywhere and be kissing at the same time. Oh, and kissing while standing up is a crick in the neck. - July 24, OKA

TIPS FOR LIVING WITH MING: - Elaine Mari Be careful to not sit on the lantern reflector or other camping stuff Don't walk on her glasses Don't stumble in her shower and tip over her prized candleholder, and break it Don't put down the toilet seat so her dog can't get a drink Don't close the bathroom door, ditto the above Do wear the long black sleeveless shirt unbuttoned more than usual, the one slit so nicely exposing your thighs, preferably with tights or nothing at all. Do hug her a lot when she's cooking for reassurance and encouragement Don't leave the food trap out of the sink hole, the drain will stink with all the stuff that gets washed down there Do try to stay calm when she's getting bitten by bugs, is tired or hungry Do set free all bugs that invade her apartment Do give her immoral support whenever she is fixing your bike, or, upon request Don't even play at violence, she's had enough of that Do remind her of all her amazing abilities Don't leave the dish cloth in the kitchen sink Don't wet all the dish cloths, better still use a sponge for cleaning up, not a dish cloth at all (what are all the dish cloths for?) Do cuddle her when you're going to sleep Don't get in bed with clothes on, they will have dog hairs on them Don't walk in bare feet in the apartment (too many dog hairs) Don't make fun of poodles (they don't shed) Do cuddle her when you are going to sleep Don't put metal objects in her teflon pan Don't scrape the cutting board with the sharpened side of her knives Do use the cutting board when using her well honed, carefully and lovingly tended knives Do tell her about what you are reading, share your book with her Do cuddle her when you are going to sleep

Ming Lise-Bo (photo)

Ming Dinh uses her writing to examine, analyze and comment on things she sees around her. She also uses her writing to come to an understanding of her past, her self, and the world. She tried hard to find suitable material to fit tonight's theme of techno-pervert love stories, but alas, her realm of technological expertise has more to do with hardware than software. And as for perverted, well she considers herself a very proper Vietnamese girl, though her mother doesn't.

Ming Dinh utilise son écriture afin d'examiner, d'analyser et de commenter les choses autour d'elle. Elle s'en sert aussi afin d'arriver á une certaine compréhension de son passé, d'elle-même et du monde. Elle a cherché avec ardeur du matériel approprié pour le thème de ce soir "techno-pervert love stories"....mais malheureusement...son expertise dans l'univers technologique a plus à faire avec le hardware que le software......Pour ce qui est de pervert, well....elle se considère comme une très respectacle jeune femme vietnamienne, ce qui, n'est pas l'avis de sa mère....

Elaine Mari is a white lesbian, a Mother, a Grandmother, a Newfoundlander, a daughter of working class parents, and is a divorcée from a middle class marriage of 22 years. She is presently living off the avails of the (in the closet) het privilege of that marriage, and unemployment insurance. In her writing she attempts to deal with issues of art and life, and with the personal and political implications of these issues The flyer for this show says that the readers tonight are feminist techno-perverts. She didn't know that she was going to be called that. Elaine feels that she is not a techno anything. She uses her computer to write, draw, and otherwise communicate; and to find out neat stuff. She is fortunate that the avails of her particular form of prostitution allowed her the privilege of affording a Mac, but keeps in mind that it is a privilege, one that most people she wants to communicate with cannot afford. And she recently found out what love is.

Elaine Mari est lesbienne, blanche, mère, grand-mère, Terre-Neuvienne, fille de parents issus de la classe ouvrière et, divorcée d'un mariage type classe moyenne qui a duré 22 ans . Elle vit présentement des restants provenants des privilèges de ce mariage et de l'assurance chômage. Dans ses écrits, Elaine Mari tente de cerner les enjeux reliés à l'art et la vie ainsi que les implications politiques qui y sont rattachées. Le dépliant annonçant les activités de ce soir dit que les conférencières sont des féministes - techno - perverses. Elle est très surprise d'être appelée ainsi...elle ne croit pas être 'techno-quoi que ce soit'. Elle utilise son ordinateur pour écrire, dessiner, communiquer et découvrir de nouvelles choses. Les profits de son ancienne et très particulière forme de prostitution lui permettent d'avoir le privilège de se payer un MAC. Ceci dit, elle garde à l'esprit que ceci est bel et bien un privilège, et que la plupart des gens avec qui elle désire communiquer ne l'ont pas. ET puis elle a récemment découvert 'ce qu'est l'amour