Chaos is the New Calm
(Wyn Cooper)
Chaos is the new calm
violence the new balm
to be spread on lips
unused to a kiss.
Left is the new right
as I brace for a fight
with a man who stands
on his remaining hand.
Fetid harbor harbor me
until someone is free
to drive me away
from what happened today.
Don't strand me standing here.
If you leave, leave beer.
About "Chaos is the New Calm" by Wyn Cooper
A practitioner of the horizontal lyric—a lyric poem that does not rise, but rather spreads over surfaces, coloring them with its particular tincture of consciousness—Wyn Cooper explores an overlooked territory that lies between the crafty irony of Frank O’Hara and the more unalloyed sentiments of contemporary popular culture, discovering unexpected equivalencies and startling imbalances.
"Chaos is the New Calm" is the title poem of a collection by Cooper. His poem “Fun” was adapted by Sheryl Crow for her hit song “All I Wanna Do.”