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A Poem to be Read into a Flashlight with a Microphone Placed Above the Breast of a Pregnant Mother

We were in our basement fort, an empty refrigerator box. It was pitch black as we took turns holding a flashlight against our hands. The pink and red tinting from the light mesmerized me. My older brother said it was the blood running through our veins filtering the light. This concept astonished me. The fragility of life illuminated beneath our skin. It was the first time I had contemplated the physicality of my inner being.

I was reminded of this childhood moment when my wife became pregnant last June. I was again entranced by the complexities of a bodies' invisible interior and the delicate developments occurring within. With my flashlight in hand I would once again begin my exploration, paying tribute to the mystery by embracing a failure to comprehend.

Tommy Becker attended the San Francisco Art Institute as an undergraduate before receiving his MFA in New Media Arts from California College of Arts in 2001 where he was awarded, The All College Honor Award. A poet trapped in a camcorder, Becker continues to feed video poems into his never-ending saga, "TAPE NUMBER ONE". Often Becker's single channel works are translated to live performance. In 2005, he was awarded an artist in residency at Headlands Center for The Arts and included in the Bay Area Now at the Yerba Buena Center for The Arts. His work has been presented at White Columns, New York; Aurora Picture Show, Houston; PDX Film Festival, Portland, The San Francisco Independent Film Festival and has recently completed a solo show at Hallwalls, Buffalo, NY.

Last updated 08/23/2009.