Pinny Bulman
Pinny Bulman is a Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO award-winning poet. Many of his poems incorporate imagery from his childhood experiences in pre-gentrified Washington Heights, NYC to explore themes of personal and collective transition, displacement, and loss. In addition to the BRIO award (2014), Pinny has been the recipient of an ADR Poetry Award (2013) and a finalist for the Raynes Poetry Prize (2015). His poems have appeared in a variety of literary publications, including Poetica, Red Paint Hill, The Subterranean Quarterly, Poetry Quarterly, Jewish Currents, and Mima'amakim.
"I am honored to be part of an Art Kibbutz project because I believe that poetry and art can't exist as a monologue."
Pinny Bulman and Hillel Broader will represent Art Kibbutz on Sunday, July 31st at 11am at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island's main stage on Colonel's Row, followed by a conversation at 2:00pm with Julian Voloj and Yellow Benjy about Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker - A Graphic Novel at Art Kibbutz - Nolan Park 6B.
See more information about the festival here.
Pinny Bulman is a Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO award-winning poet. Many of his poems incorporate imagery from his childhood experiences in pre-gentrified Washington Heights, NYC to explore themes of personal and collective transition, displacement, and loss. In addition to the BRIO award (2014), Pinny has been the recipient of an ADR Poetry Award (2013) and a finalist for the Raynes Poetry Prize (2015). His poems have appeared in a variety of literary publications, including Poetica, Red Paint Hill, The Subterranean Quarterly, Poetry Quarterly, Jewish Currents, and Mima'amakim.
"I am honored to be part of an Art Kibbutz project because I believe that poetry and art can't exist as a monologue."
Pinny Bulman and Hillel Broader will represent Art Kibbutz on Sunday, July 31st at 11am at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island's main stage on Colonel's Row, followed by a conversation at 2:00pm with Julian Voloj and Yellow Benjy about Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker - A Graphic Novel at Art Kibbutz - Nolan Park 6B.
See more information about the festival here.
blessing the moon
they sent me out
after saturday night services
to check for a sliver
of new moon to
bless,
somewhere above the tall
cans of el presidente sweating in
low beach chair cup holders,
overlooking the group of kids
hiding the fire hydrant spray with
a bucket, strategically removed
when a car passed with
carelessly rolled down window,
the gleeful kids excitedly scattering
as the soaked driver stepped out
waving a metal bat,
his threatening curses drowned out
by the slap of dominos to wood and
the loud booms of M80s
thrown off rooftops,
adding percussion
to the cranked up car speaker merengue
shaking the hips of the stoopgirls
in tight shorts who
scared me and sometimes
showed up in my dreams
i slunk to the curbside edges
worried that some of the night laughter
was directed at the jewish kid in
wrinkled old man suit
looking up for a glimpse of
moon i may as well have been from
a skinny curve of white
boy searching for something to bless,
and more,
praying for someone streetside
to look up and
bless me.
Previously published in Jewish Currents
they sent me out
after saturday night services
to check for a sliver
of new moon to
bless,
somewhere above the tall
cans of el presidente sweating in
low beach chair cup holders,
overlooking the group of kids
hiding the fire hydrant spray with
a bucket, strategically removed
when a car passed with
carelessly rolled down window,
the gleeful kids excitedly scattering
as the soaked driver stepped out
waving a metal bat,
his threatening curses drowned out
by the slap of dominos to wood and
the loud booms of M80s
thrown off rooftops,
adding percussion
to the cranked up car speaker merengue
shaking the hips of the stoopgirls
in tight shorts who
scared me and sometimes
showed up in my dreams
i slunk to the curbside edges
worried that some of the night laughter
was directed at the jewish kid in
wrinkled old man suit
looking up for a glimpse of
moon i may as well have been from
a skinny curve of white
boy searching for something to bless,
and more,
praying for someone streetside
to look up and
bless me.
Previously published in Jewish Currents
