Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bernstein, Charles - Girly Man
Bernstein, Charles - Girly Man
GIRLY
MAN
for my fatler
Herman )osepl Bernstein
(,o:,;8)
at oo
beyond any blessing or song
In Particular
i iri1 1n1 viu1v iniis ri vu1 o1 1n1 i inii viu1v
iiiix vivs1ii
rv ici oi o1nioiss
1ni oiii i 1ni civ s1ovi
A black man waiting at a bus stop
A wlite woman sitting on a stool
A Filipino eating a potato
A Mexican boy putting on sloes
A Hindu liding in igloo
A fat girl in blue blouse
A Clristian lady witl toupee
A Clinese motler walking across a bridge
An Afglanastani eating pastrami
A provincial walking on tle peninsula
A Eurasian boy on a cell plone
An Arab witl umbrella
A Soutlerner taking o a backpack
An Italian detonating a land line
A barbarian witl beret
A Lebanese guy in limousine
A )ew watering petunias
A Yugoslavian man at a langing
A Sunni boy on scooter
A Floridian climbing a fountain
A Beatnik writing a limerick
A Caucasian woman dreaming of indecision
A Puerto Rican clild oating on a balloon
An Indian fellow gliding on tlree-wleeled bike
An Armenian rowing to Amenia
An Irisl lad witl scytle
Lets just say tlat I encounter myself not in tle mirror but in tle
manure
Lets just say tlat eacl door leads to anotler door
Lets just say tlat we tlink it before we see it or better we see it as we
tlink it
Lets just say tlat a stones tlrow miglt be a world away
Lets just say tlat love is neitler lere nor tlere
Lets just say tlat tle girl is tle motler of tle woman
Lets just say tlat witlout disorder tlere can be no larmony
Lets just say tlat tle aim is not to win but not to lose too bad
Lets just say tlat a knife in tle back is better tlan a knife in tle leart
Lets just say tlat between sleep and dreams is tle reality belind reality
Lets just say tlat I am very weak and want to take a batl
Lets just say tlat tle trutl is somewlere between us
Lets just say tlat tle top of a tower is not a good place to lide
Lets just say tlat mankind suers its language
Lets just say tlat a bird cannot always be in iglt
Lets just say tlat were not far from wlere we would lave been if we
lad lived better lives
a
Lets just say tlat pretty ugly is an aspiring oxymoron
Lets just say tlat if tle sun is a rock burning in space tlen tle eartl is a
slard lurtling from its designation
Lets just say tlat little is gained wlen notling is lost
Lets just say tlat tle lie of tle mind is tle liglt of perception
;
Its 8:z in New York
Wlat I cant describe is low beautiful tle day is in New York, clear
skies, visibility all tle way to tle otler side of wlerever you tlink you
are looking.
Or looking away.
After tle long and strange Odyssey back from LaCuardia airport tlis
morning, I went to a jammed local upper west side coee slop. A fami-
ly was eating, deciding, loudly, wletler to get tle clicken or tuna salad,
tle motler expressed great disappointment tlat tlere was no skim
milk. Te coee slop was packed and tle motler said, Well, its OK, at
least were not in a rusl riglt now and after all tle restaurant probably
las more people tlan tley are used to landling.
Outside, two guys witl work boots and cell plones strapped to tleir
waists yelled toward tle coee slop, I cant believe tlese fucking peo-
ple are sitting in a cafe wlen tle city is being blown up.
I cant imagine Manlattan witlout tlose two towers looming over tle
soutl end. As I was walking across tle ,,tl Street bridge I couldnt
stop tlinking of tlat Simon and Carfunkel song named after tle bridge,
Feelin Croovy (Life, I love you . . . all is . . .).
It was lard not to feel like it was a movie, and one witl an unbelievable
plot at tlat. All tle airports closed, tle Pentagon bombed, four com-
mercial jets lijacked on suicide missions. Te bridge was overowing
8
witl people streaming out of Manlattan, a line as wide as tle bridge
and as long as Manlattan itself. If you looked out to tle left, tlere was
a big plume of smoke over downtown Manlattan. You couldnt see tlat
tle Towers were not tlere.
And it didnt seem possible tlat tlis lad lappened eitler.
Even witl all tle people streaming out, and tle small clutcl of us walk-
ing back to tle island.
Te FDR drive below us was empty, witl just tle occasional emergency
velicle. Te UN Secretariat building looked naked, vulnerable. Wly
wouldnt a plane smasl into tlat wlile we walked across tle East River:
Te skies unnaturally clear of airplanes, tlougl every once in a wlile
you lear tle ominous swoop of a jet overlead, presumably military.
Once in Manlattan, tle entrance to tle bridge was mobbed. But walk-
ing west, people were quietly langing out on street corners. Most of
tle avenues were cleared of trac and quiet, except for tle sirens of an
ambulance or re truck racing downtown.
Wlile tle plones are not working very well (so mucl of NYC com-
munication is streamed tlrougl tle World Trade Center), tle email is
working ne. Tere are notes of disbelief and worry from people from
all over, especially Europe. My friends Misko and Dubravka from Beo-
grad write and I remember tleir emails wlen tleir city was under re.
And various friends we lad just seen on our recent trip.
As I was walking lome, about lalf a mile from our apartment, I stop
by tle storefront lair salon of Andrew, wlo lives upstairs in our build-
ing. I lad been trying for a couple of lours to get Susan on tle plone,
to see if sle lad picked up Felix at sclool. But neitler tle cell nor land
plones were working. Andrew said Susan and Felix lad just walked by
and were leading lome. He said le was going to stay open just because
le tlouglt people would want to lave lim tlere, standing in front of
lis slop.
,
At about 6, Felix, Susan and I walked down to tle Hudson. I wanted to
see New )ersey, to see tle Ceorge Waslington Bridge. Te sun gleamed
on tle water. Te bridge was calm. Folks were bicycling and rollerblad-
ing. Te scene was almost serene, just ve miles from tle Trade Center.
Uncanny is tle word.
Wlat I cant describe is tle reality, tle panic, tle lorror.
I keep turning on tle TV to lear wlat I cant take in and wlat I already
know. Over and over. I dont nd tle coverage comforting but addictive.
Tis could not lave lappened. Tis lasnt lappened.
Tis is lappening.
Its 8:: in New York.
(September , :oo)
ao
Today is the next day of the rest of your life
all of a sudden toniglt tle smell of burning plastic pervades our apart-
ment, making eyes smart. is it sometling in tle building: no, a neigl-
bor explains, tlats tle smell coming from downtown.
A friend in Berkeley asks me low tlings are going and I write back. Te
reply is immediate: automated response. It is entirely blank.
We drop Felix o at a friends across from lis sclool on ;;tl and Am-
sterdam. Te re station on tle block, wlicl we pass every day, is emp-
ty, witl piles of owers in tle doorway. A wave of terror sweeps over
us, after all, :oo to oo reglters lave died. Later in tle afternoon, I
come to pick Felix up, and tlere are ten or twelve remen in front of
a
tle relouse, calmly, so it seems, wasling tle two re trucks parked in
tle middle of tle street. Its a relief to see tlem.
Ten we lear tlat nine of tle tlirty men stationed tlere perisled.
Its a bit ominous, a friend writes, tle way tle politicos are speaking
about talking witl one voice.
I am just trying to get by talking witl no voice.
Many of tle ocials on TV say we will come out of all tlis stronger.
But it wont be tle same we.
Stronger or not.
aa
)erry and Diane Rotlenberg come by. We nisl o tle bottle of
reserve Stoli I bouglt just a few weeks ago at tle Moscow airport
duty free.
On tle Poetics List someone quotes tle Tao Te Cling: Cive evil notl-
ing to oppose and it will disappear. I cant lelp tlinking
give notling evil to oppose
and it will crasl tle program
ferent, but more important tle start of sometling dierent. Starts and
stops, its true, and no destination in siglt. But we continue anyway. We
lave no cloice, tlere is no place to wlicl to return.
Anyway, isnt tlis tle time to say: We are all getting back to normal
lere in New York. I am feeling absolutely normal. Totally and com-
pletely normal.
Te problem is: I never felt normal before.
In a little more tlan a montl, by my count, we will come to tle end of
tle rst year of tle new century. It seems like a very long time from
now.
My love to you and to Xena. We tlink of you botl and of our lappy
days in Petersburg in August, especially tlat day we drifted aimlessly
down tle Neva.
Or did I just imagine it:
Clarles
WORLD ON
FIRE
;
Didnt We
Incl by incl, tle patls breaking
into patcles of blue and green
tlen black and brown, tlen
over tle pass to tle top of tle
remotest interior, accustomed as
we are to torrential indierence
and beatic familiarity. Look
up in tle skyanotler ad for
vinyl tubing, pillow talk of
Wlosits & Wlatsits of Nob &
Kebob, Insley & Ufragious,
Ackabag & Boodalip. Bump riglt
along, pondering your song, wlile
roasting toast or grinding sand
or polisling tle fabric softener
tlat stands between you and your
self. It was in ,( and tlen again
one more time. Beat bird witlout a
8
featler to call its own, a miser wlo
lives on a pile of mylar, tle studio
witl tle view of tle studio, my
electric blinker maker, strapped
in for take o. o iio1io
iioii. As quiet as
tle steps to indelible vanisling.
,
Te Folks Who Live on the Hill
Its still tle same old lorry.
Astronaut
meets Mini-Me in a test tube in Rome,
Regis spurns Veronica, Merv buys casino,
goes to anotler season, but in tle
previous year.
Te crab cakes were never
as fresl again but it continued to
pour even after tle ood expired.
Anylow, spoilage is never as bad
as outriglt clicanery.
Follow tle
rules tlen go straiglt to tle linen closet
for folding.
For example, tle cedar
clest on Pine street, or tle tlumb wrestle of
a misplaced mid-afternoon, competi-
tively anclored in java applets for
tle price of a used backloe.
o
Hey!
Wlats tle
use in a clotlespin wlen you lavent got
even tle idea of a line:
And Darby
and )oe, wlo used to be )ack and )ill . . .
Ghost of a Chance
Te silent ending came as fast as tle
cold click of a Beretta. In tlose years,
before tle war, it was tle custom. An
entry point could always be founda ways
down tle road, lidden by tle side of a
steel-gray tool sled, or in warelouses near
tle waterfront. Te days always went like
tlat. And if tle money was in tle wrong
lorse race at least it would be kept quiet,
for a wlile. Te perfume smell was all but
unendurable, wlen tle door opened
and tle room ooded witl neon and ice-
cold air. Belind tle camera tle men
joked about tle almost bitter coee.
If bald,
bring lat, if not, ignore tlis sentence but be sure
to complete tle rest of tle lines in tle poem
before going on to part four.
Rubber replacements
are available on tle tlird consecutive level.
Gel
before warp speed.
Overcome fears of cloning
by using patent leatler sloes.
Dont sail boat
witlout buckets of water.
And in tle slank
of tle evening, gatler all available stems
but refute closure.
6
Stranger in Paradise
Call tlem clamdiggers if you like, but Id
Say ler pants slrunk or sle just got real tall
All of a sudden. Te bus came late, left
Earlywhen all our cares were theirs. Linger-
Ing by tle gate of anotler y swat,
Possum fry, lateral dodge. My balloon
Is stuck and I need someone to get it
Down. As if tle trees torcled tle sky and tle
Boiler ran on lost facts. Depend upon
It, lest it depend on you, wlom tle sun
Has never toucled nor tle mist betrayed.
Turning tales into tokens tle moment
Te re lydrant slides in safe at left
Field. Drunk witl promiselessness, fat on tears.
Capris: Isnt tlat wlen wlimsy gets lucky:
;
Broken English
What are you ghting for? Te men move
decisively toward tle execution clamber.
)oey takes aim but mues lis re.
Overlead, tle crescent moon cracks
tle unbroken sky. A motl beats its wings
against tle closed doorintransigence its
only lore. What are you ghting for? Te sirens
cry wolf to tle obedient masses wlo sway,
lysterical, in syncl to tle boys
on tle back streets and tle ladies of mourning.
Brusling up fate pixel by pixel, burnisling
dusk: tle sum of entropy and elevation.
Tony takes it in lis intestine, tle slarp
pain in lis body like ripples
in a sand dune, lis face exquisitely detacled
from any sign of tle sensation. What are
you ghting for? Te market plunges, savings
8
slip away like a greased pig in a tay
pull. Sometimes tle easiest tling is just to stop
tlinking about it. Ten it can just tlink you.
Depending on tle angle of incline and tle rate
of decomposition. Wives to eacl otler, lusbanding
tle fear tlat feeds upon itself and its prey.
Doesnt tlat count for sometling, even
in tlese pitcled accommodations:
What are you ghting for?
Wlat are you glting for:
,
Lost in Drowned Bliss
Tings are wlat tley are, but we are never
wlat we are, sle said as sle wrapped tle sand-
wicl in plastic and tucked away tle tears
in a ute.
No its tlings. Tey lourly
clange before our eyes wlile we stay stuck in
wlo we are and wlere we lave been.
Tings are
solid, we stumble, unglue, recombine.
Or wlat we see is no more a part of
us tlan tle baby wlo beckons from tle
forest: we splinter in tle void to catcl
tle liglt, tlen lail tle sparks as paradise.
o
Sunset at Quaquaversal Point
Intends by onset to skip over busted rlymes
Like a snail coats its belly witl preconscious
Worm-envy on a plate engaging its met mat,
Te gnat ler pinky ring. One sting more
And tle wave goes on periverbal autodeterrent
Clin by tle tension fanner, two for ve-
Fifty, lend me a lip retractor. Cosl, Im
Conna lave to get you later, for now
Hold tlat tlougltlessness one more beat.
At tle end of tle day tle pegs left standing
Form an arc around tle moat till tle rooster
Comes lome witl tle mocking birds. Ten
Fill tle balloons witl ludic runes and I will
Take ler witl mine left and lose ler witl mine
Riglt. Focus, tlen bend, tle bear to tle nortl
Wind, witl sullen yet courageous lan. Surcease
Surceasewitl a sneeze & a pleat & a pike, a
;
Warrant
I warrant tlat tlis
poem is entirely my
own work and tlat
tle underlying ideas
concepts, and make-up
of tle poem lave not
been taken from any
otler source or any
otler poem but ratler
originate witl tlis poem.
I furtler attest tlat no
one except me, tle autlor
and party to tlis binding
agreement, las any title
claim, or proprietary
interest in tle poem.
I lereby indemnify
tle publisler against
any action tlat can
be taken against tle
poem, warranted or
unwarranted, including
libel, defamation, or
infringement on any
trademark, copyriglt
8
or patent, irrespective
of any intention or
lack of intention, state
of mind, or aestletic
plilosoply. I furtler
attest tlat tlis poem
las not been previously
publisled, in part or in
wlole, in any print or
electronic form, or in
translation, or performed
as part of a reading
musical, review, lecture
or slow.
I grant tle publisler
worldwide riglts to
tle poem, including
serial, periodical,
newspaper, magazine
book, bookazine, poster
indoor and outdoor
display riglts, and also
digital, paradigital, and
postdigital riglts, as well
as tle riglts to use tle
poem in secondary
publications and markets
including franclise and
commercial applications.
Te poem will be
copyriglted in tle name
of tle publisler and tle
autlor lereby and fortlwitl
witlout prejudice or duress
,
and witl full consent
agreement, acquiescence
and concurrence relinquisles
riglts to republisl tle
poem in any form, print or
electronic, or perform
tle poem at any fair
slow, reading, lecture
musical, or review, witlout
permission, notarized and
in writing, from tle
publisler.
I agree to furnisl tle publisler
at my own expense and expeditiously
an electronic copy of tle poem
as well as one lard copy or print-out.
I agree to review proofs of tle poems
and return tlem, at my own expense
witlin 6 lours of tleir receipt.
Te proofs will be delivered any
time from later today until )anuary
:oo.
In exclange for granting
tle publisler tle aforesaid
riglts, I will receive, as
payment in full, and as
full recompense against
any claims, levies, fees
lonoraria, emoluments
endorsements, riglts
permissions, or royalties
domestic or global, printed
or electronic, digital
paradigital, and postdigital
6o
tle opportunity to subscribe
to tle publication in wlicl
tle poem will rst appear
at forty percent discount
from tle full subscription
price. To exercise tlis option
I agree to make payment in
full in tle next tlirty (o)
days.
6
Fantasy on Nightmare on Elm Street Teme
Tere is a place
not lere
nor near nor far
Coes and comes
wlerever you are
Dont go dont go dont go
6a
Cum ipse plectrum maribilus factotum
Crandio decorum ludicare plenus est
Amo digitalis agrantia moribund
Ammo ipse luminatti nitudo
Regio masturboris terminus reglutino
Habitatio potentia paternitus mea
Quod perpetuo obduro nunc nobilis
Causam Excrucio belle fugit veritas
Quisquam fortunatus modo pumex
Ave mediocris grammiticus
Opera circumsilliens modo quamquam
Proximus nostrum ignorare arbitraris
Tis fragment las been reconstructed from documents recently dis-
covered near Rome. It is believed to be derived from a poem by Caudio
Amberian, wlo was an advisor to Nero, altlougl little else is known
about lim. Many lexical and grammatical irregularities claracterize
tlis no doubt debased text, my translation tries to remain as literal
as possible, providing in Englisl an experience close to wlat it miglt
lave been like for tle rst Latin auditors of tlis self-cannibalizing
work.Cl.B.
Witl itself plucked marble, factotum
Crand witl ludicrous decoration, is full
I love nger stimulation witlout slame, deadly
6
Ammunition itself enfused witl nal liglt
Te king landles limself terminally, comes unglued
My fatlerlood enlouses my potency
On tle grounds tlat perpetual obdurance is now
To conduct torture a pretty iglt to trutl
Anyone blessed just pumice
Farewell grammatical ordinariness
Works wobbling witl only little qualms
Near our arbitrary ignorance
6
Hes So Heavy, Hes My Sokal
i1iv iv ivi i rii1o scniiv
Please, please dont Sokal me
Sokal tle baby, Sokal tle priest
But dont, dont Sokal me
Im laugling so lard I could cry
If I Sokaled you
You wouldnt like it
You wouldnt approve
If I Sokaled you
Youd Sokal so lard you would split
O, O let go of my no
It isnt so funny you goof
Ol, no, Ive misplaced tle sunny
Stop or Ill fall up tlrougl tle roof
But please, please dont Sokal me
Sokal tle baby, Sokal tle priest
Sokal your motler, Sokal your brotler
Sokal some otler guy
But dont, dont Sokal me
Im laugling so lard I could sigl
6
Cut it out now, cut it out now!
Im listoricized, I cant take it anymore!
Come on, beat it, get out of lere!
Youre symptomizing me!
Im practically reied!
Wait until I get you, you piece of . . .
Cut it out cause Im getting sore
And please, please dont Sokal me
Sokal tle baby, Sokal tle priest
Sokal your fatler, Sokal your sister
Sokal some otler guy
But dont, dont Sokal me
Im laugling so lard I could cry
66
Why I Dont Meditate
Mental lealtl is probably overrateda little anxiety
is a great source
for poetic composition & besides I prefer sitting
on clairs witl leavy cuslions & a footstool
if at all possible.
6;
Questionnaire
iivic1ios: For eacl pair of sentences, circle tle letter, a or b, tlat best
expresses your viewpoint. Make a selection from eacl pair. Do not omit
any items.
. a) Te body and tle material tlings of tle world are tle key to any
knowledge we can possess.
b) Knowledge is only possible by means of tle mind or psycle.
:. a) My life is largely controlled by luck and clance.
b) I can determine tle basic course of my life.
. a) Nature is indierent to luman needs.
b) Nature las some purpose, even if obscure.
(. a) I can understand tle world to a sucient extent.
b) Te world is basically baing.
,. a) Love is tle greatest lappiness.
b) Love is illusory and its pleasures transient.
6. a) Political and social action can improve tle state of tle world.
b) Political and social action are fundamentally futile.
;. a) I cannot fully express my most private feelings.
b) I lave no feelings I cannot fully express.
68
8. a) Virtue is its own reward.
b) Virtue is not a matter of rewards.
,. a) It is possible to tell if someone is trustwortly.
b) People turn on you in unpredictable ways.
o. a) Ideally, it would be most desirable to live in a rural area.
b) Ideally, it would be most desirable to live in an urban area.
. a) Economic and social inequality is tle greatest social evil.
b) Totalitarianism is tle greatest social evil.
:. a) Overall, teclnology las been benecial to luman beings.
b) Overall, teclnology las been larmful to luman beings.
. a) Work is tle potential source of tle greatest luman fulllment.
b) Liberation from work slould be tle goal of any movement for
social improvement.
(. a) Art is at leart political in tlat it can clange our perceptions of
reality.
b) Art is at leart not political because it can clange only
consciousness and not events.
6,
Language, Truth, and Logic
I.
Wly did you steal
tlat money: You
know you acted wrongly
in stealing. Stealing
money is wrong. You
slouldnt do it,
slouldnt lave done it,
not wlat you
did. And you promised
you wouldnt. You
ouglt to keep your
promises. Really slould
keep your promises, wlen
you say you
will, wlen you promise.
Promise? You know
I took wlat you
said as a
;o
promise. I mean, you
promised, didnt you:
Tey say I excuse
you. Excuse me!
I cant excuse you
for acting wrong.
Stealing money is wrong.
You acted wrongly
in stealing tle money.
I took wlat
you said to be
a promise. You
promised! You ouglt to
keep your promises.
Promise! Wly did you
steal tlat money:
II.
Youre mistaken.
I slot tle lorse accidentally.
Tere was no mistake.
It was no accident.
I mean I slot tle lorse by mistake.
It was an accident
tlat I slot tle lorse by mistake.
I did not mean to sloot tle lorse.
;
Mean it or not
your mistake is no accident.
It was tle wrong lorse tlat I slot.
I was mistaken.
I accidentally made a mistake.
Te only mistake you made
Is no accident.
Youre mistaken.
Make no mistake about it.
Te lorse was slot by accident.
I leld tle gun but I was not aiming for tle lorse.
So youre saying it was an accident:
Tat you slot tle lorse by mistake:
I admit to my mistake.
It was an accident.
A Note on the Poem
Te rst part relates to tle central argument in A. ). Ayers Language, Truth and Logic (,6):
Te presence of an etlical symbol in a proposition adds notling to its factual content. Tus
if I say to someone, You acted wrongly in stealing tlat money, I am not stating anytling
more tlan if I lad simply said, You stole tlat money. Te rst section also refers to David
Rosss discussion of tle statement You ouglt to keep your promises in Te Right and the
Good (,o). Te poems second part takes up ). L. Austins distinction between accident
and mistake in A Plea for Excuses (,,6). Ayer goes on to say: In adding tlat tlis action
is wrong I am not making any furtler statement about it. I am simply evincing my moral
disapproval of it. . . . It merely serves to slow tlat tle expression of it is attended by certain
feelings in tle speaker. . . . If now I generalize my previous statement and say, Stealing
money is wrong, I produce a sentence wlicl las no factual meaning. It is clear tlat tlere
is notling said lere wlicl can be true or false. . . . We can now see wly it is impossible to
nd a criterion for determining tle validity of etlical judgments. . . . And we lave seen
tlat sentences wlicl simply express moral judgments do not say anytling. Tey are pure
expressions of feelings and as sucl do not come under tle category of trutl and falselood.
;a
from Canti Antichi
vv 1oio civocvissi (,8,;()
O! Heart of mine
Is cleaved by your betrayal!
Te pigeon engorges its wings
To our exlausted sentiment!
My lead is broken on tle cement!
O! Heart of mine
In yearning my visage fractures!
We leapt togetler like matcling porcelain doves
Before tle curtain ripped
To its predestined lemorrlage!
O! Heart of mine
Is drencled in your evasion!
Te bludgeon unravels its stings
On our patletic pediment!
My leads exploding in deepest lament!
Trans. Cl.B.
;
Slap Me Five, Cleo, Marks History
<!insert gure lere, below title and before poem. Poem canislould start
on same page as painting (see lardcopy sample)!>
Hello, my name is Miclael Antlony
and I lave in my land a casliers cleck
for one million dollars made out
in your name. Tere are no conditions
on tle use of tlis money. You can spend it
any way you want, even give some to
tle Memorial Art Callery, wlicl needs
your support, but you know tlat. Donations
to tle Poetics Program at tle University
at Bualo are also welcome, and for
donations of s,oo or more we will include
you or your loved ones in our poems, or,
if you prefer, we can compose more poems
relating to tlis painting or otler paintings
in tle collection.But lold on a minute,
Im getting alead of myself. Let me
;
back up. Tere is one condition on tle million:
you are not allowed to reveal tle name
of tle benefactor. If I tell you lis name,
Im counting on you to keep it to yourself.
Anyway, maybe youve already guessed
tlat its )oln Beresford Tipton. Youd
know tle name if you watcled Te Millionaire
on TV in tle ,,os. (I dont tlink tle slows
made it yet to Nick at Niglt or TV Land,
but tlen I dont follow tleir programming
tlat closely. But Im sure not getting
residuals, tlat money dried up a long time
ago.) Of course a million isnt wlat it used
to be, but wlat is: Anyway, you know, enougl
about me. You didnt invite me lere to talk
about myself, well you didnt invite me lere
at all. So lets get on to tle subject at land,
because we lavent got all day. We see before
us Bernard Duviviers Cleopatra.Hey,
Jimmy! Get up from the bench, take the
headphones o, and come over here
or you wont be going to the roller rink later!
(Excuse me, I lope it wont be necessary
to interrupt tlis poem again, so everybody
pay attention.) Cleopatra is dated ;8,,
tle year of tle Frencl Revolution, so we
must rst consider low tlis painting relates
to tle momentous events of tlat fateful year,
for a painting is never just about its ostensive
subject, but always contains witlin it anotler,
often unseen, often contradictory, subject,
played out in its form or gured in its
imagery. In tlis case, we must assume
some listorically specic reference, some
sign of tle revolution taking place
outside tle artists studio. And yet, its
;
lard to see wlat tlat would be. Could it be
tlat Antony and Cleopatra in some way
stand for claracters from tle contemporary
listorical drama of ;8,: Cleopatra is no
Marie Antoinette, I can tell you tlat,
and Antony, well les no Louis XVI,
as I am sure you would agree
if you knew Louis like I know Louis
O! Wlat a guy! I mean luman claracter
is sometling I specialize in. And I know
Louis and Marie, not just tle cardboard
images out of books but tle real esl-
and-blood people. )ust last week, Louis,
Marie, and I lad a knockout luncl witl
)ack Tipton at Montraclettle frogs legs
were delicious, crisp as a Lays potato
clip and coated witl a dazzling avocado
meringue sauce. And tle patisserie
was out of tlis world. Let us eat ze cake,
Louis joked, always tle wise guy, but
you slould lave seen tle look on Maries
face: sle was not amused. It was nice of
Tippy to pick up tle cleck, as tle Frencl
royals lave been laving a lard time
tle past couple of lundred years. I mean
wletler you agree witl tlem or not, youve
got to respect tle tradition tley represent.
No, if we are to look for allegory in tlis
painting, we lave to tlink of sometling
dierent, sometling more o tle mark.
Perlaps tle symbolic potential of middle-aged
lovers defying society: Cleopatra and Antony
look very youtlful for , and ,and tlis
is way before vitamin supplements, too.
But, lets face it, tlis is no Citizen Cleo
taking up arms against tle old order
;6
in tle name of liberty, equality, and
fraternity. Wlatever virtues tle pair
may lave, democracy is no part of tlem.
Fraternization maybe, but tlats it. Duvivier
slows Cleopatra witl a knife, ready to end
tlis mortal coil and join ler beloved in tlat
better place just outside tle frame. Tis is not
a revolutionary gesture but ratler an
inwardly directed act of violence, suggesting
severe depression at tle acute loss of a loved
one in a person witlout tle emotional resources
to go tlrougl tle grieving process and end up
a stronger, lealtlier, more self-empowered
individual. Sucl images of self-directed violence
lave been slown, time and again, to lave
a larmful eect on viewers, especially
a painting like tlis, wlicl romanticizes suicide.
Paintings witl tlis type of subject matter
slould be restricted to patrons over o
wlo can demonstrate tleir emotional maturity,
my only reservation about tlis course
of action is tlat it would only draw more
attention to tlis reprelensible glorication
of self-slauglter.I lope you will allow
me to indulge in a personal note lere.
Te slame of Marks suicide las launted
tle Antony family for generations, so mucl so
tlat wlen emigrating from Italy in tle 88os,
my parents clanged tle spelling of our
name, adding an l for our missing lonor.
And, speaking of families, wlat of Marks rst
familyOctavia and tle clildren: Sure Queen
Cleopatra is sad, but wlat about tlem:
I wouldnt waste all your tears on Cleo.
Dont get me wrong, I understand wlat its
like to be so low you tlink down is up. After
;;
our slow passed onI mean was canceled, I
still lave a lard time saying tlat wordI fell into
a downward spiral until I lit bottom at a dive
called At Our Place on tle Bowery. Tats
wlere I met Louis, wlo always wore a green
ribbon around lis neck, altlougl le would
never talk about it. Tippy tried to do wlat le
could, oered to cover my stay at tle Betty Ford
clinic, but I lad too mucl pride to accept lis oer.
Eventually I landed a job as researcl assistant to
a young sclolar associated witl UBs Poetics
Program, wlo specialized in poems about paintings
and was at tle time working on Frencl neo-Classicism
la )acques Louis David. Anyway, and correct me
if Im wrong, didnt Cleopatra do lerself in
witl an asp slortly after tle scene depicted
in tlis painting: Wlen sle realized
tlat tle lundreds-year-old Ptolemaic dynasty
would come to an end and Rome would rule Egypt:
Wlen pusl comes to slove, it wasnt romance
tlat was on tle Queens mind, but tle imminent
political catastrople for ler country. Maybe
tlat event was to be tle subject of a sequel, ready to
go into production if tlis painting lit big box
oce. Anyway, not to clange tle subject, but, and
cleck tlis outdont you tlink Antony looks
more like le was cauglt in agrante delicto tlan
tlat les dead: I guess tlats poetic license
(low do you apply for one of tlose:). Alas,
none of us brings a blank slate, a tabula rasa,
an unprejudiced gaze, to tle reception
of sucl an listorically clarged subject. For
example, many contemporary viewers will lave
foremost in tleir minds tle comparison
between tle star-crossed lovers in tlis painting
and tleir representation in )osepl L. Mankiewiczs
;8
,6 lm version of Cleopatra, starring Elizabetl
Taylor and Riclard Burton, witl Rex (Dr.
Doolittle) Harrison as )ulie Caesar. (Many people
tlink of )ulie only as a take-clarge military
commander and forget tlat le was tle inspiration
for tlat great vocal standard, Roman Niglts of an
Egyptian Queen [Cleos Song]You came,
you saw, you conquered me.) I cannot
emplasize enougl tlat in order to properly
understand Duviviers painting on its own terms,
it is necessary to clear tle mind of all sucl
overlaid images. Try to put yourself in tle
position of tle rst viewers of tlis painting,
wlo knew notling of Liz and Dicks slenanigans
in Rome, nor of tle trials of Eddie Fisler.
Sucl contemporary images put a cloud
between us and tlis painting, a cloud tlat
we can only lope to vaporize by rigorous
analysis botl of tle painting itself and
tle listorical reality of tlat August day,
o years before tle start of tle rst millennium,
wlen people were just beginning to face
tle issues around Y-zero-K (ignition, lift-o).
Let us tlen return to tlis painting, witl a renewed
commitment to plumb its deptl, scale its leiglts,
assay its tlematics. No consideration of tlis work
would be anytling but supercial if it considered
only tle main actors in tle unfolding drama
and overlooked tle supporting cast. Let us tlen
turn our attention to Faitl, Hope, and Larry
tle tlreesome just belind tle sti. Now Faitl,
Faitl looks like sles got Excedrin leadacle ,(,,
if not a migraine (but tlis was before product
placements and let me emplasize tlat tlere
are only minimal fees being paid for brand name
references in tlis poem). Hope seems to be
;,
relearsing for a Martla Cralam revival. And
Larrytle guy in tle lower riglt-land corner
it looks like les trying out an early version
of aerobicsCet tlat knee up, all tle way
up. Stretcl tlose arms. But leres tle weirdest
tling: Larry, lets call lim Larry, bears an
uncanny resemblance to )oln Beresford Tipton.
I mean )ack Tipton always wore a suit, but
tle guy in tle picture las tle same nose,
tle same eyes, tle same build. I mean explain
tlat. But I see I am letting tle main emotional
action of tle painting get away from me:
you know, tle deep gaze being exclanged
by tle Queen and tle Roman guard Proculeius
(wlose name we now associate primarily witl
a common skin rasl exacerbated by oil paint).
I mean, rst )ulius Caesar, tlen Tony, and
now . . . : After all, wlo could resist a man
in a red dress wearing a lelmet bedecked
witl a long red featler: Or would you call
tlat a plume: Id call it a featler, but tlen
wlat do I know: Ive never even been to
Egypt and I only took one summer of Latin
wlen I was in ligl sclool. )ulius Caesar
crossed tle Rubicon. You can say tlat
double for Mark Antony. And wlile we are
on tle subject, make mine a double, too,
witl a twist. Tats right, double or nothing,
twist and shout, but be home by . Now,
before we move on to tle next painting,
I want you all to notice tlat Proculeiuss
lead accessories are so mucl more appealing
tlan tle rubberbanded ponytail and baseball
cap now standard for balding men of my
generationno oense intended to you, sir,
yes you, looking away, with the bib overalls
8o
but tlen perlaps Proculeius las one of tlose
ponytails tucked away under lis lelmet.
(Perlaps an x-ray of tle painting is in order.)
And, ley, wlats tlat: A miniature dragon
under tle plumage: Tats so cool. Anyway,
one tlings for sure, Cleopatras sandals
are still very clic.
Illustration on p. ;: Bernard Duvivier, Cleopatra Captured by Roman Soldiers after the
Death of Mark Antony (;8,). Oil on canvas, (, in. x ,8 in., acc. no. 8(.(o. Memorial Art Cal-
lery of tle University of Roclester: Marion Stratton Could Fund. Plotograpl by )ames Via.
IN PARTS
8
Reading Red
Reading Red
only event
over & under
fuses
green witl
(no idea
:
Road Slow
Face on face
lides (divides)
not wlats inside
but wlats
8
Dear, Here
if a tree could
talk you would
not understand
its bark only its
bite
(
Loopy
a
pine
is
a
curve
tlat
isnt
deterred
,
color is not about tle object
but a part of tle luman being
not inside but outside
not outside but inside
88
6
Key Lime Hide
Its about playing a game
tle way a lamp slines out at
iglt
but tle subject is still
overlay & under-
cover, in wlicl
tle line pertains
to neitler
eitler, etler
;
Wlite along edge
Bark of tree
As if blue becomes a
liglter color
Holds
As you make your bed tlen
lie in it
Cround fatler to
Figuration
8
Te Knees Have It
I lad a double meter
I gave my fatler lalf
He put it in lis pocket
Ten tlrew it in tle trasl
Now since tlat time Ive lost a dime
Ive even broke a ute
8,
But all I wants tlat lalf a rime
To bleat tle denting out
,
Duoplone
East is lung & soutl
is its
torn motion
belongs to Caesar
neitler, or
nortls west passagelessness
:o
Tis Side Up
ues cross
memorys encyclopedic
permutations
transparent, succumb
tle body,
tle
:
Zone
no circle
no slape
coming out of my moutl
tle sun is but a morning star
,o
::
Dont Toucl
Sladow cast on black
mocks line
cleave, dart, splinter
:
Cant lold wlat resists
enclosure
a village of
malcontents
Dear or Dont
Agents of
:(
Against Itself
like a cut in skin
or tle bleating of edges
into tle frost
the paintbrush is the forest of society
:,
strongest attempt
tle work could make
to destroy itself
Reading Red responds to eacl of tle twenty-ve paintings exlibited by Riclard Tuttle at tle
Sperone Westwater gallery in February and Marcl of ,,8.
,
Pomegranates
consoling wli of madness
tlwarts tle rabid dog
,a
one mans river is
anotler mans pipe
so wlat
at least tleres sound
in tle verbs
still no salve
for tle salve
egg rolls
no belly op
,
take a break
tlink again,
Buddy
break neck
sti breeze
seldom silent
golden landlebars
everywlere seen
nowlere lope
O, Capital!
,
mucl wonder
about notling mucl
lelp me
to tle ladder
later
toward dusk
as always
,
metaplysics is tle busmans
pajamas, religion lis overalls
steal yourself
for more plastic
sensation
is tle biggest obstacle to
sensation
,6
In Parts
1.
conjunction of color
overlaps & undertlreads
low one toucles anotler
or doesnt toucl
so there
simultaneous double narrative
tle space betweens tle otler narrative
as if tleyre opposite
wlose life would be inkling (splintering)
,;
you can see it but you cant process it in an algebraic or binary way
z.
rst, space becomes tle frame
like every solution, it looks good at rst
tle next step: make tle frame tle rst layer of tle visual experience
tle tlird is getting rid of it
,8
liding tle beginning in tle end
liding tle end in tle beginning
liding tle middle in tle end
liding tle middle in tle beginning
liding tle end in tle middle
liding tle beginning in tle middle
liding tle middle in tle middle
o
tle actual in tle invisible is tle validation of tle original
its tle colors inside tle colors tlat are toucling, tle meanings inside
tle meanings
present in sladows
sloped limp
remorse &
astounding fast
syllogism mendicant-
layers spinning
seawall grandiloquence
all drilled
contend beads
before zzles
emplatic int
silos yet
motion gorged
mentions twice
aslant melt
idioplone sliced
wlo Clattanooga
jilts beyond
jugglers bacon
left bleary
& bodes
(ripped clatter
ribbed eleplantine
riddled) matrix
riglt minimal
youre discrepancys
riglt clarm
get craves
back puddles
lave peddle
leart learns
take yodel
lold lenses
till lens
tucked leans
in intent
bed colours
a
witl notice
saucers slide
& out
plenty but
of anywlere
potatoes lunges
topped stand
witl knots
glupey at
reliquaries billion
or six
faked over
reminders amortize
slipped to
inconspicuously unwillingness
at lassoes
singed alleviation
alleviation singed
lassoes at
unwillingness inconspicuously
to slipped
amortize reminders
over faked
six or
billion relinquisles
at glupey
popsicle toppling
stand witl
lunges potatoes
anywlere of
but plenty
out &
side saucers
notice witl
colors sleds
intent in
leans muck
lens till
lends lold
yodel takes
learns leart
peddling lave
puddles back
craves gets
distend riglt
discrepancys youre
minimal left
matrices (rippled
eleplantine dipped
clatter sieved)
bodes &
bleary left
beacon juggler
beyond jilts
Clattanooga wlose
sliced idioplonic
melt aslant
twice mentions
gorged ocean
yet silos
int emplatic
zzles before
beads contends
drilled all
grandiloquence silt
spinning layers
mendicants suture
fast astounds
& remorse
limp sloped
luridly requires
lumpy lelp
lays astringent
tle saps
line sibilant
leaping frequenting
lizards slurs
resuscitating of
model arrays
Tudor unfold
baskets deeds
in as
truculent suppositions
lamper silly
mosaic certain
welsl beguiles
or rue
just sifts
slun tally
risible wlere
equation wondering
blunting or
numerate wasted
insomnias impecuniously
prickly wets
x water
LIKENESS
;
Castor Oil
iov irr
I went looking for my soul
In tle song of a minor bird
But I could not nd it tlere
Only tle sladow of my tlinking
Te slow sea slaps slow water
On tle ever fartler slore
And myself pulled under
In tle uneven lumming
Of tle still wavering warps
Tuneless, I wander, sundered
In lent blends of remote display
Until tle bottom bottoms
In song-drencled liglt, cradled fold
8
Shenandoah
iov vi vvroiisiv
Ol Slenandoal, I long to near you
Trougl fogged and fumbling slallows
Ol Slenandoal, wly dont you lear me:
Astray, Im bound to sway
Midst tlese stiing borders
Ol Slenandoal, wly must I trample
All tlat I belold before me:
Ol Slenandoal, I wisl no otler
No otler tlan to sway
Near your wobbling borders
Ol Slenandoal, Im only moisture
Only fog and fumbling sladows
Ol Slenandoal, Im all deception
Astray, Im bound to go
Midst tlese leaving waters
Ol Slenandoal, wly dont you take me:
Engulf me in your weaving:
Ol Slenandoal, wly must I lose you:
To lose, to lose myself
Near, so near, your borders
Ol Slenandoal, I long to near you
Past tle wobbling endurings
,
Awaybeyond tle steaming sladows
AwayIm bound away
Bound to tlese stiing borders
Ol Slenandoal, I lear you coming
Come and go and never toucl me
Ol Slenandoal, Im more tlan moisture
Swept away, swept away
Im more tlan moisture swept away
From your enduring
Ol Slenandoal, Ive traveled far to lold you
Dont deny my desperate pleadings
Ol Slenandoal, I wisl no otler
Otler tlan to sway
Otler tlan to sway
Witlin your rolling borders
Ol Slenandoal, let me forget you
I want no image of your teeming valleys
Ol Slenandoal, let me forget you
Forget tle promise, forget tle promise
Of your lollow leaving
ao
Jacobs Ladder
iov r iui vii (,::oo6)
Spent liglts pooled mirror
Wet green in vertical beam
Clill outclaos binds
a
Dont Get Me Wrong
Dont get me wrong
Im never riglt
Busted up and feelin sliglt
Te lays in tle layloft
My monkeys bent and sore
But still Im mad to see you
Slumping at tle door
Tools are good for xing tlings
My lifes beyond repair
Picked a pomegranate
And I sold it to a bear
Ive lad enougl of wanting tlings
Wlicl never wanted before
)ust give me fty dollars
Or Ill jump into a stall
Too mucl is gone
And wlat remains
Dont rate a faded scrawl
Aint wortl a tourniquets maul
Ive lad enougl of tlis and tlat
Of wlat and wlo and all
Dead tired in tle morning
Almost gone by niglt
aa
Yet tlere you are
Plain as rain
Hiding in tle door
Dont get me wrong
Im never riglt
Hunted down and reeling like
)ust like a rule tlats bust its score
)ust like a rule tlats bust its score
But still Im mad to see you
Pulling at tle clord
Yes still Im mad to see you
Dont say goodbye no more
a
Interim Stando
If discipline is required
youre more tlan competent
less tlan able. Slopes
tlat bloat tle boat, or
less tlan messed, borderline
toelold. Florid
oods, maladroit
caterers (cavedwellers)
wlere noise
is notice. Carpetbagger
wissensclaft. Hes
notling but a
Cad-dang fuzz
ball. (Hip-
luggers witl matcled
tuck-in
tributaries.)
a
Should We Let Patients Write Down
Teir Own Dreams:
You are in an oblong cylinder tlat
projects endlessly in front of you.
Handprints line tle upper riglt
arc witl an insistent but inconsistent
reiteration. Lances or spears seem
to appear in midair, like oaters
in tle sun at tle beacl, and it is
very damp, damp witl a faintly
metallic taste. A pool of water
comes up to your ankles but your
sloes are totally dry. You call out
to your left, right, left, right
but youre not marcling and no one
is giving any orders. Te liglt
is tinted tle color of rust but
las no source. You fall to wlat
you almost want to call tle ground
and pusl forward on your stomacl.
You feel anxious but after a wlile
tle lack of expectation and tle warmtl
of tle water, wlicl leaves your clotles
as dry as if you were wearing a wet
suit, is unexpectedly reassuring. Wlen
tle liglt turns wlite you nd yourself
sitting on a clair witl a notebook and
pencil in land.
a
Bridges Freeze Before Roads
Starlit clis & tlen, all sudden,
wlen eclo wanes &
crevice depopulates surface reason,
I go into tle louse of tlick
green calling, overfed by oracle
crest and tendentious disclaimer.
Bridges freeze but remain passable
even in fog. Te road goes nowlere.
a6
Pocket in the Hole
Reverberation sways aversion
seals still larbinger
Bent dismay in
a supposed zone
Wlere tampered verity
usles conscience down
A tampered tube
utterly soaked in
Totaled improvidence, as
slimmers silence posing
Support like lucent
teclnobubbles tolling trust-
Me-not but
get disconnected, like
A gate not
strictly atavistic, a
Point gutted witl
furious, gently furious
Fools. Te moment
tle in becomes
Te out &
you urry around
Te quagmire of
your illustrious deputations
Pincled to tle
core yet altogetler
a;
Stretcled beyond wlat
you remember least
Te lifts recalling
overcompensation in tle
Place of insubordinate
commutation ensnaring your
Ennobled intransigence in
a microtonal slue.
a8
Evening Sail with Prawns
Fund of inordinate bind
Blinking at tle milkmen
Clilled by niglt
In recompense of toward
a,
Secrets of a Clear Hand
Make lay wlile tle starts stutter. I
never understood tlat. Remarks
are not pickled learing. Once I sailed
upon a tune, not two cents overboard,
tlen exlale rapidly. Nearly near,
obsequious far. A pink camel on a
pilloryas slouts down tle carousing
resplendence. Pay rst tlen pay again.
A miser knows tle cost of sliglt. Coast,
sigl, split, imbricate. Until you mar
tle mistakes tleres felt enougl for lockets.
Te center drifts, tle sentience lolds
furtler tlan a run to lawed and
lemmed. Sworn to disbelieving wlat
even tle crooner atomizes. (Always sour,
never soars.) As sword between uggle
& puggle, soup nuts to larceny. Besides,
between. As still as . . . tle tail on tle uncle
of my mommys monkeys stepuncle. Break
your crack, take your otler back.
Till the oceans pour into the sea
Till I see you no more
Till the door becomes a jar
o
Tere but for tle kindness of framers
and tle grace of tle Devil.To wit and
ler cousin tweet-tweet, to Villon
and viclyssoise and Magritte.
)ust say so.
Rain Is Local
my land is my land
& my car is my car
my boat is my boat
my scare my scar
a
Set Free (Knot)
Armed mens dense void
Kercliefs counter
Witl its own kind of
Blurred emission
Fills no stares
Slung by rlomboid
Truculence, unleavened
Sentiment wlo cloak
Flags (tendentious
Aspiration, discomposed
Somnambulant) as I
Drip, droop or derogate
Deliberate opportunity
Against investments
Detoured borders
,
War Stories
War is tle extension of prose by otler means.
War is never laving to say youre sorry.
War is tle logical outcome of moral certainty.
War is conict resolution for tle aestletically clallenged.
War is a slow boat to leaven and an express train to lell.
War is eitler a failure to communicate or tle most direct expression
possible.
War is tle rst resort of scoundrels.
War is tle legitimate riglt of tle powerless to resist tle violence of tle
powerful.
War is delusion just as peace is imaginary.
War is beautiful because it combines tle gunre, tle cannonades, tle
cease-re, tle scents, and tle stencl of putrefaction into a symplony.
War is a tling tlat decides low it is to be done wlen it is to be done.
o
War is not a justication for tle self-riglteousness of tle people wlo
oppose it.
War is otler people.
War is a ve-mile like in a one-mile cemetery.
War is natures way of saying I told you so.
War is a faslioning of opportunity.
War is a nipponized bit of tle old sixtl avenue el.
War is tle reluctant foundation of justice and tle unconscious guaran-
tor of liberty.
War is tle broken dream of tle patriot.
War is tle slow deatl of idealism.
War is realpolitik for tle old and unmitigated realism for tle young.
War is pragmatism witl an inluman face.
War is for tle state wlat despair is for tle person.
War is tle end of tle road for tlose wlove lost tleir bearings.
War is a poem tlat is afraid of its sladow but furious in its course.
War is men turned into steel and women turned into asl.
War is never a reason for war but seldom a reason for anytling else.
War is a casualty of trutl just as trutl is a casualty of war.