Daily Archives: November 4, 2017

Orpheus Charming the Animals

Wikipedia Poem, No. 646

w646-sm

“How each child finds that it must deal with / the intolerable // becomes its fate.” Frank Bidart

A note for readers: Each occurrence of an asterisk in the following poem represents one slow, deliberate breath in through the nose (at least three seconds) and out through the mouth (at least three seconds). Silently count each inhale and each exhale. You are permitted to think about anything at all during that time.

washed 
the boy
    around 
photoreceptors the 
      charming  
audio 
the particular order of a baroque story 
gathered beside hair 
around such magnificent 
photoreceptor density
the forestage animal-watch 
these animal sounds through hyper-baroque storytelling 

*

gather boys 
the effects of living 
          blue eyed doves and such 
      as such 
as ammonite political sweetness 
my wings perceive something blue eyes he twists 
   listening 
on the boy in fancy dress the poet 
expects listening blue eyed doves such magical upheaval 

upheaval upheaval upheaval 

* * *

english 
       fancy 
dress symbolism panel justice boys used on the air sounds
photoreceptor thighs
que story gather round boys 
use the crickets bloody death outspreaders 
don't be shy 
who are these animal cruelties among you
orpheus such 
      magical 
      upheaval english fancy dress 
my wings perceive something blue 
eyes 
     twist like political 

upheaval 
upheaval 
upheaval 

* * * 

english fancy dresses poet 
         and never 
          look back orpheus charming as a 
      hyperbaroque story gathered like wildflowers 
   boy with no insect parts like rainfalling the recording 
         booth 
      i mean 
garageband's 
code hung like draperies all another boy used was the 
      monastery between its thighs
on tour (such magical upheaval     english boys 
dressed like symbolism for christmastime
      panels filled just 
with boys 
          in fancy 
dress symbolism 
        used 
       in the composition 
      of blue 
      eyed doves 
subduing on 
      a mogul josias murer's danger-room i mean 
      garageband's 
        code 
    hung 
like 
draperies 
all 
      the 
crickets bloodparts 
insect legs turn from the crow 
an 
         avuncular
order then cruelty auditory charm blue 
      eyes twisted living noise 
  cardinal wings perceive some thick round noise 
         by rubbing blue 
eyed 
         doves such magical upheaval    english fancy 
dress symbolism 
    boy upon fired
ink all the recording 
hyper noise recording 
         baroque 
stories 
gathered breasts
used on 
      the 
monastery crow artist 
         as auditor is 
a baroque story gather 
     baroque boys 
to such magical effect

upheaval 
    upheaval 
        upheaval 

* * * 

english 
         fancy symbolism 
just any boy copy
and pasted in crows gathered at the forestage 
cone density through hypertext and expects 
living noise by 
      the rubbing together
      the phasing through 
      of ora serrata
perceive something blue eyed 
doves subduing 
    death     or are they crows
    outspread wings perceive something 
    together handheld boy 
        on the free monastery tour 
   (such magical upheaval english fancy drapes

 

Portrait of John Berryman

Wikipedia Poem, No. 645

berryman

“I won’t dwell on these or on any details now. I have a good deal to do and I am exhausted in the eighth day of a heavy cold. This is just to tell you that life has a new mask on.” John Berryman, 10 October 1943

so do i 
am exhausted 
in the end of our minds

this instead 
of our minds

this instead of our minds 
instead of our minds this

the end of a heavy cold
the end minding the cold

speaker and
spoken to

our annual knowing 
being offered up to us 

i have a good deal to tell 
on a term-to-term basis 

instead of our minds
the eighth day of mum

as we begin less-than-life 
has a new mask on

this is less-life than less with its 
new mask hell-in-new-rochelle

any details now (exactly what
i don't yet know) i am exhausted 

and at the end of our minds on an animal
incomprehensible bizarre touching mint

it does so and it is warm its being the beginning 
offered up at the end of life has a new mask on