.
probability theory
Independence of what? The bombs bursting
the rockets' red glare, putrid aroma
animal sacrifice, masked by fragrance
coals being charred, sharp odor of fresh
explosives, red barbecue grill, beer gods
hot dogs apple pie and all that, yes,
it would be good to be free of all that,
it would be good to be clear. But history
ah, from that will come neither release
nor reprieve. The bishop with his ghostly course
of empire. And the first shall be last. Not yet.
Had the Spanish been willing to soil
their hands on the trade in skin
how differently the turning out of things
this is what I was thinking as the air burst.
the rockets' red glare, putrid aroma
animal sacrifice, masked by fragrance
coals being charred, sharp odor of fresh
explosives, red barbecue grill, beer gods
hot dogs apple pie and all that, yes,
it would be good to be free of all that,
it would be good to be clear. But history
ah, from that will come neither release
nor reprieve. The bishop with his ghostly course
of empire. And the first shall be last. Not yet.
Had the Spanish been willing to soil
their hands on the trade in skin
how differently the turning out of things
this is what I was thinking as the air burst.
empire of skin
The impress of empire in a flipping coin
A chance impression -- empire of the skin --
The act of representation itself
Has its own powers of implication.
Becoming once more a still, plane surface
After having engulfed a person, life goes on
Without even a ripple at the vanishing point,
And from that life that person's excluded,
As will, as knowledge, as any other thing
Except a memory, growing dim,
The way a sentence left uncompleted
Appears to sink deeper into the paper,
As the coin falls toward tabulated
Foliate columns, a flat unscrolling moon.
Has its own powers of implication.
Becoming once more a still, plane surface
After having engulfed a person, life goes on
Without even a ripple at the vanishing point,
And from that life that person's excluded,
As will, as knowledge, as any other thing
Except a memory, growing dim,
The way a sentence left uncompleted
Appears to sink deeper into the paper,
As the coin falls toward tabulated
Foliate columns, a flat unscrolling moon.
Puerto de Acapulco en el Reina de la Nueva Espana en el Mar de Sur: Adrián Boot, 1628 (Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas at Austin)
Forma y Levantando de La Ciudad de México: Juan Gomez de Trasmonte, 1628 (Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas at Austin)
Forma y Levantando de La Ciudad de México: Juan Gomez de Trasmonte, 1628 (Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas at Austin)
Puerto de la Vera Cruz Nueva en el Reina de la Nueva Espana en el Mar de Sur: Adrián Boot, 1628 (Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas at Austin)
7 comments:
so powerful!
real independence... yes, you are right... when is it achieved?
many things to be cleared of... a long journey...
After the last two foggy, buzzy days, these poems, the colors you've used, the views of Mexico and the Ed Dorn introduction to The Empire of Skin, put me back on a thinking road. One thing we speak about often here is the line from Leap: Diademed Sifaka: "the flaw in the carnivore which is the original sin in creation". These are both great.
"...foggy, buzzy days,"
indeed.
And hopefully
"back on a thinking road."
But,
"a long journey..."
Birds, auspices, haruspex... we've been seeing lots of black crows.
And they've been seeing us.
(Static in the visual field?)
The morning after the dead flesh sacrifices and the chains of explosions.
Fog. Silence. Dubious independence.
The freeway feeder at least free of morning rush traffic for once.
Tom,
Thanks for this," Fog. Silence. Dubious independence." here too (and quails calling back and forth from field).
Good the quail have survived, anyway.
Almost forgot: Curtis mentioned he and Caroline peek at The Diademed Sifakas now and again. Me too. For inspiration. So for others who might be interested in
taking the Leap...
Some more recent comments disappeared by the idiot Blogger gremlin, here. I am trying to find them. The hour grows late. Here are the ones I've found. There were more.
___
human being said...
so powerful!
real independence... yes, you are right... when is it achieved?
many things to be cleared of... a long journey...
5 July 2010 05:27
Curtis Roberts said...
After the last two foggy, buzzy days, these poems, the colors you've used, the views of Mexico and the Ed Dorn introduction to The Empire of Skin, put me back on a thinking road. One thing we speak about often here is the line from Leap: Diademed Sifaka: "the flaw in the carnivore which is the original sin in creation". These are both great.
5 July 2010 05:58
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