Wednesday, February 25, 2009
We Will Rebuild And Emerge Stronger
but how? how is it done? how does one? how will we? how can we, falling apart, stronger emerge? when we can't even rebuild.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Loneliness Tears Cracks Of Madness Even In Walls - or - Hand On A Hand, Hand On A Back
whilst berlin alexanderplatz melts my soul meine Seele meine Seele i sit and i stand long and tall and Drip. and water running down and Drip. and can't stand to stand can't stand to sit (who the hell would want to know this) watching face fall down like all falls down like everything that laments like everything converging like everything must rising like everything must crashing and shit can't stand can't quite can't sit.
and they's ones onstage and off and standing smoking cold post breakup post mortem post hole digger holes used to could fit when i's small child small child court of dirt court of that quart of this naked like the night can't seem to shake all that is or used to be at very least but not no longer quite this.
they was depressed angry lament heavy coat rain heavy blood soaked teeth ground down all pygmy-like aching jaw glassy eye come ye sinners come ye all come ye sinners come repent.
with a pale face turned to the sun.
they was all rat scurry and rain fall down broken feet low down sorry cornbread when i'm hungry corn whiskey when i'm dry holes deep dug holes gathered round holes deep dug holes in cold, cold ground.
think of the way you have done.
pastry chef stabbed right through the heart park walking just walking park two kids and a life not his two kids and life not this and this ain't no metaphor for luminous effect and this ain't no metaphor for soul purge intent and if this is metaphor is for a nothing and a death and for nothing still a fact look it up don't believe me check the book 'cause it happens and it happens and it happens all the time with a death and a fury and all run through with a knife like a knife through the heart like a heart not mine.
and it's all tenuousness.
and then.
like dim lightning flash silent thunder has struck.
a hand on a hand and a hand on a back.
and it all becomes more something a little like tenderness.
and they's ones onstage and off and standing smoking cold post breakup post mortem post hole digger holes used to could fit when i's small child small child court of dirt court of that quart of this naked like the night can't seem to shake all that is or used to be at very least but not no longer quite this.
they was depressed angry lament heavy coat rain heavy blood soaked teeth ground down all pygmy-like aching jaw glassy eye come ye sinners come ye all come ye sinners come repent.
with a pale face turned to the sun.
they was all rat scurry and rain fall down broken feet low down sorry cornbread when i'm hungry corn whiskey when i'm dry holes deep dug holes gathered round holes deep dug holes in cold, cold ground.
think of the way you have done.
pastry chef stabbed right through the heart park walking just walking park two kids and a life not his two kids and life not this and this ain't no metaphor for luminous effect and this ain't no metaphor for soul purge intent and if this is metaphor is for a nothing and a death and for nothing still a fact look it up don't believe me check the book 'cause it happens and it happens and it happens all the time with a death and a fury and all run through with a knife like a knife through the heart like a heart not mine.
and it's all tenuousness.
and then.
like dim lightning flash silent thunder has struck.
a hand on a hand and a hand on a back.
and it all becomes more something a little like tenderness.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Seven Jewish Children
This is (to the best of my knowledge) the entire text of Caryl Churchill's latest (short) play. It's being railed against as anti-semitic by many: some feel the problem is that a gentile author is portraying the views and attitudes of Jews. Others believe that it portrays all Jews as "inveterate liars." Personally i think the play (despite its politics), and more importantly this entire situation, is more complex than these blunt criticisms acknowledge.
I don't think a ten minute play will solve one of our current world's most complicated of crises, nor do i think this is the worst crisis in our world, but i do think that this is important, and this play says something that i've been thinking and does so in a rather beautiful way.
Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza
No children appear in the play. The speakers are adults, the parents, and if you like, other relations of the children. The lines can be shared out in any way you like among those characters. The characters are different in each small scene as the time and child are different. They may be played by any number of actors.
1
Tell her it’s a game
Tell her it’s serious
But don’t frighten her
Don’t tell her they’ll kill her
Tell her it’s important to be quiet
Tell her she’ll have cake if she’s good
Tell her to curl up as if she’s in bed
But not to sing.
Tell her not to come out
Tell her not to come out even if she hears shouting
Don’t frighten her
Tell her not to come out even if she hears nothing for a long time
Tell her we’ll come and find her
Tell her we’ll be here all the time.
Tell her something about the men
Tell her they’re bad in the game
Tell her it’s a story
Tell her they’ll go away
Tell her she can make them go away if she keeps still
By magic
But not to sing.
2
Tell her this is a photograph of her grandmother, her uncles and me
Tell her her uncles died
Don’t tell her they were killed
Tell her they were killed
Don’t frighten her.
Tell her her grandmother was clever
Don’t tell her what they did
Tell her she was brave
Tell her she taught me how to make cakes
Don’t tell her what they did
Tell her something
Tell her more when she’s older.
Tell her there were people who hated Jews
Don’t tell her
Tell her it’s over now
Tell her there are still people who hate Jews
Tell her there are people who love Jews
Don’t tell her to think Jews or not Jews
Tell her more when she’s older
Tell her how many when she’s older
Tell her it was before she was born and she’s not in danger
Don’t tell her there’s any question of danger.
Tell her we love her
Tell her dead or alive her family all love her
Tell her her grandmother would be proud of her.
3
Don’t tell her we’re going for ever
Tell her she can write to her friends, tell her her friends can maybe
come and visit
Tell her it’s sunny there
Tell her we’re going home
Tell her it’s the land God gave us
Don’t tell her religion
Tell her her great great great great lots of greats grandad lived there
Don’t tell her he was driven out
Tell her, of course tell her, tell her everyone was driven out and
the country is waiting for us to come home
Don’t tell her she doesn’t belong here
Tell her of course she likes it here but she’ll like it there even more.
Tell her it’s an adventure
Tell her no one will tease her
Tell her she’ll have new friends
Tell her she can take her toys
Don’t tell her she can take all her toys
Tell her she’s a special girl
Tell her about Jerusalem.
4
Don’t tell her who they are
Tell her something
Tell her they’re Bedouin, they travel about
Tell her about camels in the desert and dates
Tell her they live in tents
Tell her this wasn’t their home
Don’t tell her home, not home, tell her they’re going away
Don’t tell her they don’t like her
Tell her to be careful.
Don’t tell her who used to live in this house
No but don’t tell her her great great grandfather used to live in
this house
No but don’t tell her Arabs used to sleep in her bedroom.
Tell her not to be rude to them
Tell her not to be frightened
Don’t tell her she can’t play with the children
Don’t tell her she can have them in the house.
Tell her they have plenty of friends and family
Tell her for miles and miles all round they have lands of their own
Tell her again this is our promised land.
Don’t tell her they said it was a land without people
Don’t tell her I wouldn’t have come if I’d known.
Tell her maybe we can share.
Don’t tell her that.
5
Tell her we won
Tell her her brother’s a hero
Tell her how big their armies are
Tell her we turned them back
Tell her we’re fighters
Tell her we’ve got new land.
6
Don’t tell her
Don’t tell her the trouble about the swimming pool
Tell her it’s our water, we have the right
Tell her it’s not the water for their fields
Don’t tell her anything about water.
Don’t tell her about the bulldozer
Don’t tell her not to look at the bulldozer
Don’t tell her it was knocking the house down
Tell her it’s a building site
Don’t tell her anything about bulldozers.
Don’t tell her about the queues at the checkpoint
Tell her we’ll be there in no time
Don’t tell her anything she doesn’t ask
Don’t tell her the boy was shot
Don’t tell her anything.
Tell her we’re making new farms in the desert
Don’t tell her about the olive trees
Tell her we’re building new towns in the wilderness.
Don’t tell her they throw stones
Tell her they’re not much good against tanks
Don’t tell her that.
Don’t tell her they set off bombs in cafés
Tell her, tell her they set off bombs in cafés
Tell her to be careful
Don’t frighten her.
Tell her we need the wall to keep us safe
Tell her they want to drive us into the sea
Tell her they don’t
Tell her they want to drive us into the sea.
Tell her we kill far more of them
Don’t tell her that
Tell her that
Tell her we’re stronger
Tell her we’re entitled
Tell her they don’t understand anything except violence
Tell her we want peace
Tell her we’re going swimming.
7
Tell her she can’t watch the news
Tell her she can watch cartoons
Tell her she can stay up late and watch Friends.
Tell her they’re attacking with rockets
Don’t frighten her
Tell her only a few of us have been killed
Tell her the army has come to our defence
Don’t tell her her cousin refused to serve in the army.
Don’t tell her how many of them have been killed
Tell her the Hamas fighters have been killed
Tell her they’re terrorists
Tell her they’re filth
Don’t
Don’t tell her about the family of dead girls
Tell her you can’t believe what you see on television
Tell her we killed the babies by mistake
Don’t tell her anything about the army
Tell her, tell her about the army, tell her to be proud of the army.
Tell her about the family of dead girls, tell her their names why
not, tell her the whole world knows why shouldn’t she know? tell
her there’s dead babies, did she see babies? tell her she’s got
nothing to be ashamed of. Tell her they did it to themselves. Tell
her they want their children killed to make people sorry for them,
tell her I’m not sorry for them, tell her not to be sorry for them,
tell her we’re the ones to be sorry for, tell her they can’t talk
suffering to us. Tell her we’re the iron fist now, tell her it’s the fog
of war, tell her we won’t stop killing them till we’re safe, tell her I
laughed when I saw the dead policemen, tell her they’re animals
living in rubble now, tell her I wouldn’t care if we wiped them out,
the world would hate us is the only thing, tell her I don’t care if
the world hates us, tell her we’re better haters, tell her we’re
chosen people, tell her I look at one of their children covered in
blood and what do I feel? tell her all I feel is happy it’s not her.
Don’t tell her that.
Tell her we love her.
Don’t frighten her.
(Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is being performed at the The Royal Court Theatre in London.)
I don't think a ten minute play will solve one of our current world's most complicated of crises, nor do i think this is the worst crisis in our world, but i do think that this is important, and this play says something that i've been thinking and does so in a rather beautiful way.
Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza
No children appear in the play. The speakers are adults, the parents, and if you like, other relations of the children. The lines can be shared out in any way you like among those characters. The characters are different in each small scene as the time and child are different. They may be played by any number of actors.
1
Tell her it’s a game
Tell her it’s serious
But don’t frighten her
Don’t tell her they’ll kill her
Tell her it’s important to be quiet
Tell her she’ll have cake if she’s good
Tell her to curl up as if she’s in bed
But not to sing.
Tell her not to come out
Tell her not to come out even if she hears shouting
Don’t frighten her
Tell her not to come out even if she hears nothing for a long time
Tell her we’ll come and find her
Tell her we’ll be here all the time.
Tell her something about the men
Tell her they’re bad in the game
Tell her it’s a story
Tell her they’ll go away
Tell her she can make them go away if she keeps still
By magic
But not to sing.
2
Tell her this is a photograph of her grandmother, her uncles and me
Tell her her uncles died
Don’t tell her they were killed
Tell her they were killed
Don’t frighten her.
Tell her her grandmother was clever
Don’t tell her what they did
Tell her she was brave
Tell her she taught me how to make cakes
Don’t tell her what they did
Tell her something
Tell her more when she’s older.
Tell her there were people who hated Jews
Don’t tell her
Tell her it’s over now
Tell her there are still people who hate Jews
Tell her there are people who love Jews
Don’t tell her to think Jews or not Jews
Tell her more when she’s older
Tell her how many when she’s older
Tell her it was before she was born and she’s not in danger
Don’t tell her there’s any question of danger.
Tell her we love her
Tell her dead or alive her family all love her
Tell her her grandmother would be proud of her.
3
Don’t tell her we’re going for ever
Tell her she can write to her friends, tell her her friends can maybe
come and visit
Tell her it’s sunny there
Tell her we’re going home
Tell her it’s the land God gave us
Don’t tell her religion
Tell her her great great great great lots of greats grandad lived there
Don’t tell her he was driven out
Tell her, of course tell her, tell her everyone was driven out and
the country is waiting for us to come home
Don’t tell her she doesn’t belong here
Tell her of course she likes it here but she’ll like it there even more.
Tell her it’s an adventure
Tell her no one will tease her
Tell her she’ll have new friends
Tell her she can take her toys
Don’t tell her she can take all her toys
Tell her she’s a special girl
Tell her about Jerusalem.
4
Don’t tell her who they are
Tell her something
Tell her they’re Bedouin, they travel about
Tell her about camels in the desert and dates
Tell her they live in tents
Tell her this wasn’t their home
Don’t tell her home, not home, tell her they’re going away
Don’t tell her they don’t like her
Tell her to be careful.
Don’t tell her who used to live in this house
No but don’t tell her her great great grandfather used to live in
this house
No but don’t tell her Arabs used to sleep in her bedroom.
Tell her not to be rude to them
Tell her not to be frightened
Don’t tell her she can’t play with the children
Don’t tell her she can have them in the house.
Tell her they have plenty of friends and family
Tell her for miles and miles all round they have lands of their own
Tell her again this is our promised land.
Don’t tell her they said it was a land without people
Don’t tell her I wouldn’t have come if I’d known.
Tell her maybe we can share.
Don’t tell her that.
5
Tell her we won
Tell her her brother’s a hero
Tell her how big their armies are
Tell her we turned them back
Tell her we’re fighters
Tell her we’ve got new land.
6
Don’t tell her
Don’t tell her the trouble about the swimming pool
Tell her it’s our water, we have the right
Tell her it’s not the water for their fields
Don’t tell her anything about water.
Don’t tell her about the bulldozer
Don’t tell her not to look at the bulldozer
Don’t tell her it was knocking the house down
Tell her it’s a building site
Don’t tell her anything about bulldozers.
Don’t tell her about the queues at the checkpoint
Tell her we’ll be there in no time
Don’t tell her anything she doesn’t ask
Don’t tell her the boy was shot
Don’t tell her anything.
Tell her we’re making new farms in the desert
Don’t tell her about the olive trees
Tell her we’re building new towns in the wilderness.
Don’t tell her they throw stones
Tell her they’re not much good against tanks
Don’t tell her that.
Don’t tell her they set off bombs in cafés
Tell her, tell her they set off bombs in cafés
Tell her to be careful
Don’t frighten her.
Tell her we need the wall to keep us safe
Tell her they want to drive us into the sea
Tell her they don’t
Tell her they want to drive us into the sea.
Tell her we kill far more of them
Don’t tell her that
Tell her that
Tell her we’re stronger
Tell her we’re entitled
Tell her they don’t understand anything except violence
Tell her we want peace
Tell her we’re going swimming.
7
Tell her she can’t watch the news
Tell her she can watch cartoons
Tell her she can stay up late and watch Friends.
Tell her they’re attacking with rockets
Don’t frighten her
Tell her only a few of us have been killed
Tell her the army has come to our defence
Don’t tell her her cousin refused to serve in the army.
Don’t tell her how many of them have been killed
Tell her the Hamas fighters have been killed
Tell her they’re terrorists
Tell her they’re filth
Don’t
Don’t tell her about the family of dead girls
Tell her you can’t believe what you see on television
Tell her we killed the babies by mistake
Don’t tell her anything about the army
Tell her, tell her about the army, tell her to be proud of the army.
Tell her about the family of dead girls, tell her their names why
not, tell her the whole world knows why shouldn’t she know? tell
her there’s dead babies, did she see babies? tell her she’s got
nothing to be ashamed of. Tell her they did it to themselves. Tell
her they want their children killed to make people sorry for them,
tell her I’m not sorry for them, tell her not to be sorry for them,
tell her we’re the ones to be sorry for, tell her they can’t talk
suffering to us. Tell her we’re the iron fist now, tell her it’s the fog
of war, tell her we won’t stop killing them till we’re safe, tell her I
laughed when I saw the dead policemen, tell her they’re animals
living in rubble now, tell her I wouldn’t care if we wiped them out,
the world would hate us is the only thing, tell her I don’t care if
the world hates us, tell her we’re better haters, tell her we’re
chosen people, tell her I look at one of their children covered in
blood and what do I feel? tell her all I feel is happy it’s not her.
Don’t tell her that.
Tell her we love her.
Don’t frighten her.
(Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is being performed at the The Royal Court Theatre in London.)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Torncoat Lonely Coat Côte-d'Or Only Coat
Drinking ourselves into the hole like a warm blanket We dropped how much? Torn up stomach torn up not to mention throat sore hoarse Look 'em in the face can't help can't stop but mostly just can't you ever heard of shame son let me tell you sir can't live with it can't live with anyone can't shouldn't why live? Can't help but. But we all knew that. But all we always knew that and always and then some. We bone eater Sunday folk messed up a mess we water sick lost & sad broken out plastic waste stuck inside shrinker and shrinker inside deeper coats and warmer and warmer like never ending inside deeper and deeper blankets drinking warm.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
French Cuff - or - A More Perfect Pisco Sour?
they's talking 'bout that beer he spilled all up his shirt and then throwin' the bottle up the stairs at them college kids them what was just trying to get to home or the closest proximation thereof when you's that age and not knowin' what's to come next, what's to come 'round the corner, what's to come 'round the corners of life, what's to be, so's i told 'em you's best not aks too many questions of 'em 'cause you keep aksing questions of 'em and you keep aksing questions of 'em like that and you's lible to get some answers you don't much like.
that shut 'em up for near 'bout four and a half minutes give or take.
that shut 'em up for near 'bout four and a half minutes give or take.
Friday, February 13, 2009
A Plane Crashes In Buffalo
Skinny whoreson, a gale force full from that which she blows, thar look at ye skinny whoreson of babylon look at ye don't ye know nothin' good fer nuthin' haven't ye heard across the sea son across the sea.
may you survive til i pull the trigger.
Church on Sunday and a job in the hole. un-whole and not a chance in hell. But hell if i didn'a so did i, did i ever to the fullest and the full. Til Saturday when la petite fille francaise et le petit francais (her's) arrivent dans la ville. et apres... etapray. etapray? He et it all up and didn't even bother with prayin'. Scoundrel of scoundreldom and all unholy sacrilege i took absolutioning him from all, but then only some 'cause i ain't got no authority to do so in the first damn place. Shiiiit i ain't got no authority no how to begin with not to mention endin' i ain't got none. But i'm tryin'. Aimin' for authority on a little cardboard card and a library pass you can't even buy on the street. Card me at the door i'll be a good goddamned well ok alright gotta do a job. and that's just what i'm hopin'.
may you survive til i pull the trigger.
Church on Sunday and a job in the hole. un-whole and not a chance in hell. But hell if i didn'a so did i, did i ever to the fullest and the full. Til Saturday when la petite fille francaise et le petit francais (her's) arrivent dans la ville. et apres... etapray. etapray? He et it all up and didn't even bother with prayin'. Scoundrel of scoundreldom and all unholy sacrilege i took absolutioning him from all, but then only some 'cause i ain't got no authority to do so in the first damn place. Shiiiit i ain't got no authority no how to begin with not to mention endin' i ain't got none. But i'm tryin'. Aimin' for authority on a little cardboard card and a library pass you can't even buy on the street. Card me at the door i'll be a good goddamned well ok alright gotta do a job. and that's just what i'm hopin'.
Quaint streetlamp busstop 'round the corner where i am what i am but not no more because too much is embarassing and too long is exhausting tired dead on your feet goddamn. But still i am fine wines and... can't read the rest parking meter gotta get me a pipe cutter gotta get me a cause gotta get me a red leather jacket so i can give it away so i can get me a telescopic projector of the heavens like the one they got back home, like a sattelite landmine all mine like that rock that weigh too much in the little plastic case gotta break it open and take home my own little piece'o'space
Skin like rubbermeat in the gale force full from which that "pull meat please" begs from a taped up wall holding us all together like the hands of jesus in a sunday school painting like when we was learnin' the good book amen jumpin' the wall into hornets' nest graveyard turn the corner playground ditch canal glory glory hallelujah but sneakin in to the otherns' when i got the chances excitement in the last of places goin to hell for it i'm almost nearly sure which considrin' the let down not quites cardboard brick junk store atmospheric considrin' what? I don't regret. No lightning strike down heart attack car crash explosion rapturotic release maybe wrongs alongs i get by. Wake up the next day maybe wrathful vengeful safe escaped by a hair when thank fuck i gots one more to face. Skinny face Skinny whoreson. Skinny whoreson of Babylon. Look at ye, don't ye know nothin' good for nothin' haven't ye heard across the sea son, haven't ye heard across the sea.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Самый высокий интерес для немедленного рассмотрения
a satellite crashing. at 250,000 mph. 400 miles up.
hundreds of debris. floating in space. up there all alone.
irreducible fragments of an already forgotten.
it will be weeks at least before the true magnitude is known.
they say.
it is unclear what caused the crash.
they say.
authorities believe it is the first incident of its kind.
they say.
but,
i wouldn't be so sure.
it all sounds awfully familiar to me.
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