Thursday, December 21, 2006

Post for December 22 : Chinese Brush Experiment

I would like to do a Chinese Brush Experiment, an exercise where the poet can go only forward, never back--except to change line breaks, punctuation, grammar or spelling. The words themselves may not be changed in any significant way. Here I go:


Introducing

Demosthenes chewed stones but spit them out,
his tongue ungrateful for the discipline she'd learned
from pebbles wrapped in saliva.
Not an announcement, no parasol and green balloon
over the astronomy lab, shame it is.
As I was saying, the shortest route between two points
is woven like a snake, even two snakes mating
which is a vision you can't be responsible for.
I mean in a general sense, no presupposition
the black girl in the orange raincoat smiles
for no reason, you grip your cane, shield your heart
and take suspicion for your lover. Shame.
It's not the same for everybody, you know--
but as I get older I want to be more open,
coiled to try to understand, intent upon meaning,
without dismissing the ravings of the inexperienced
nor promoting the ignorance of academic singularization,
to live with an open door because the house of your life is stout
and your fear is a trace element
folding on itself atomically
the nuclear blast so green
green fire, the parasol on the desert was dust.
Dangerous dust. Ha! The sore point:
how the ulcer of aggression feeds the maggot of desire.
We were talking about that, and the confessions
of the Samoan twins, accused of terminal obesity
exceeding the cholesterol limit
by two kiloblubbers.
Thank you very much.
You have been very kind.
May you all be blessed in all things by the grace of God,
Amen.

4 comments:

  1. This is an interesting exercise - yours make much more sense than mine would were I to try such a thing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful approach. I like this. My favorite lines:

    and your fear is a trace element
    folding on itself atomically
    the nuclear blast so green
    green fire, the parasol on the desert was dust.
    Dangerous dust. Ha! The sore point:
    how the ulcer of aggression feeds the maggot of desire.

    Really fine. Thanks for the post CE.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved your "Essence," Twitches.

    Sam, the lines you quote are some lines that might make it into a final draft, while most of the others would be discarded. This is me at my most unguarded. Thanks for finding a sapphire in the mud.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous5:28 AM PST

    Interesting blog as for me. I'd like to read a bit more concerning that theme. Thanks for sharing this info.
    Sexy Lady
    Female escorts

    ReplyDelete

Please share your opinion!

Unexpected Light

Unexpected Light
Selected Poems and Love Poems 1998-2008 ON SALE NOW!