September 2008
69 posts
01 Duel of Creation
乾 Qián ||||||
I once knew an artist who was so creative he challenged the Gods to a duel of creation. Hmm. Well, when we got the news, Jesus, Allah, Buddha and I drooled in anticipation. Oh, hubris is funny. We drew straws and I won and I smiled like the sun and said “Buckle your seatbelt, honey!
¡Yo soy tu Madre! ¡Chupa mis tetas! ¡Te mato si no me respetas!”
The artist played music – a...
02 I Am Felled
坤 Kūn ¦¦¦¦¦¦
A field is called a field because it is a forest felled. Poor forest.
A man is called a man when he gets better at doing things than being. Poor being.
My mind is treed-in, busy, a forest tangled up in vines and doing, things and looming deadlines. But like the lichen tongues the tree, you lick and stick and lichen you to me until my doing self is out of hearing.
A man becomes a...
03 My Tooth
屯 Zhún ¦|¦¦¦|
Hey you, look at my tooth. It’th looth. That meanth I’m gonna get thome money. Five dollarth. Tooth fairy. I wiggle it around and my mom thays “Ow, that’th thcary.” But not to me. I’m tough. I’ll beat the tooth fairy up and take her money.
Hey you, look at my tooth. It’th looth. That meanth I’m gonna be a big dude. A huthler. My uncle. I’ll drive a big car and the girlth thay...
04 Sky Sent Rain
蒙 Méng |¦¦¦|¦
Sky sent rain first as bait.
Out came umbrellas, opening wide black mouths.
Then from every impossible direction, explosions of wind.
Umbrellas broke, wings and bones split
and litter the sidewalk, abandoned, some picked clean,
a massacre of umbrellas, a massacre massacre massacre massacre massacre massacre massacre massacre massacre
carcasses marking the lair of some great...
05 El Vendador de Agua
需 Xū ¦|¦|||
Cada madrugada el vendedor de agua viene a mi calle a cantarme una opera. Va así: Agua.
¡Ay, Señor de Agua, que bocote tienes! ¡Que pulmones! Hago el desayuno en el tiempo que tomas a cantar tu palabra. Agua.
El vendedor de agua anda en bicicleta con gallones y gallones en su carrito de atrás. Su opera de agua derrama por la gente, los millones y millones de mi cuidad.
Agua es la...
06 Diva Bottle
訟 Sòng |||¦|¦
DIVA Is it hot in here or is it just me?
WATER BOTTLE It’s you.
DIVA Who said that?
WATER BOTTLE No one.
DIVA Who said “no one?”
WATER BOTTLE You.
DIVA Do you mean to say I’m talking to myself?
(WATER BOTTLE is silent.)
I said “Do you mean to say I’m talking to myself?”
WATER BOTTLE You’re singing.
DIVA Apparently I am.
Well whatever, it is hot in…
WATER BOTTLE No it’s...
07 Hello Helicopter
師 Shī ¦¦¦¦|¦
Hello Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter. Everyone yell “Helicopter” chop chop wave wave.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-chopping through the sky above an Indian Ocean island laid waste by a ten-foot wave wave. We are in a helicopter looking for life in the flood-muddy land below low. Miracle: a lone and naked person looks up and lifts a hand, as if to say “Hello.”
Hello Helicopter Helicopter...
08 In the Next Life
比 Bǐ ¦|¦¦¦¦
In the next life I will fill my body out, occupy it fully, stand up straight and straighten all the twisted channels between my brain and mouth.
In the next life, I will say the strong and daring things, be wild enough and old enough to love you and be loved.
In the next life, you will claim your soul for yours, cleanse the muttering tenants of your heart and skin and send the...
09 Taking Time
小畜 Xiǎo Chu ||¦|||
Taking land. Taking time. Taking what is finally mine.
I’m the sea taking all that belongs to me.
Libretto by Caroline Murphy
10 Ripples of Sorrow
履 Lǚ |||¦||
Ripples of sorrow from stones of despair. Boy without shadow hear my pray’r.
Ripples of courage from stones of restraint. I search the pond and refuse to faint.
Ripples of terror from stones gripped with fear. I lose my faith as you disappear.
Every stone sinks in the same pool of hope where courage falls under fear and though sorrow enters to stab at us all there’s nothing to...
11 Heaven
泰 Tài ¦¦¦|||
(The bathroom of an empty bar.)
Heaven. This is heaven. Heaven is coming. Heaven is here in my hands.
(Holds out bag.)
No… Heaven is now. Don’t be a dick and start calling this heaven… Sorry God, sorry God, sorry God… Heaven is knowing that heaven is coming.. oh shit, I should write this down.
No. Stay in the now. Don’t be a prick and stay in here forever. Sorry y’all, sorry...
12 The Bride
否 Pǐ |||¦¦¦
Today is the day I grow eyes. Today is the day of my mouth. Today is the day I get cut down to size; to a size where you get to take hold of my thighs. Today little ones, you fly south.
Today is the day that my eyes are meant to do more than just see. Today they’ll be seen and then you’ll realize. I am not just for climbing up into the skies. Today I am more than a tree.
Cut me...
13 Matches
同人 Tóng Rén ||||¦|
I am a match. And I am a match. And I am a match. And I am a match.
We are matches happily matching so completely there is no distinction between me, or me or me or me.
This means it only takes one of us to be happy.
And I am happy, so I am too, and me, and you, and me.
We are matches happily matching so completely there is no distinction between…
Oh my. God. Where’d she...
14 iBottle
大有 Dà Yǒu |¦||||
(Not supposed to be talking to the person on the other end.)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, K, I’ll hm? No, nothing what? Hold on a second.
(turning away from iBottle) I’m coming, just gimme a minute.
Great. Bring it to me.
(back to iBottle).
Hello? Yeah, you there? Yeah. Sorry. K. What?
Oh. No. Yeah. Sorry. I finally found service. No, just for a minute. No, just for a minute when…...
15Line Up
謙 Qiān ¦¦¦|¦¦
Line up at the river. Line up at the river. Line up at the river ev’rybody. Grab a drink ev’rybody. Wash your face, but beware of the monster in the river who holds others in a fantasty embrace.
Oh. Line up at the river. Line up at the river. Line up at the river ev’rybody. Grab a drink ev’rybody. Wash your face, but resist the urge to kneel in those strange delusions; sinking at...
16 Wishing Well
豫 Yù ¦¦|¦¦¦
Wishing well. Wishing well. Wishing well. It’s tempting to expect a push, a shove, people thrown to the ground when it’s heard that someone has found the soon-to-be tragic wishing well.
Wishing well. Wishing well. Wishing well. It’s a wonder there’s no running, no race, no sprint, no rushing to be the first when we know of mankind and his thirst for the genie at the bottom of the...
17 Dust Away
隨 Suí ¦||¦¦|
Dust away earth apart, clear and scrape, dirt’s no good for eating.
Dust away earth apart, reveal a spot. Reveal a dot of mud. Reveal a trickle, dampness in the earth.
Hope beneath the dry.
Paw, dig deep. Snout, sniff green. Spring, spurt forth.
Gurgle. Fin fin fin dives in. Tail turns rudder. Wing wing says: Set me free.
Fin scoops sludge. Muddy water. Hope springs eterne. Fly...
18 Lawn Sprinkler
蠱 Gǔ |¦¦||¦
Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa Suíh Shoop shoop shoop…
Lawn sprinkler Little girl Dry spot.
Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí
Lawn sprinkler Little girl Cartwheel Dry spot
Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí
Lawn sprinkler Little girl Flower Cartwheel Hose
Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí
Sa sasasa sa Suí Sa sasasa sa Suí Shoop shoop shoop…
Lawn sprinkler Little girl Red...
19 Bottle Upon Bottle
臨 Lín ¦¦¦¦||
I saw my village as we rounded the bend. Me and the driver in the Mercedes.
Small and care-worn, dusted over with age. Only the old women and children remain sifting rice separating rock from grain.
Old grannies cough and spit. Have a bottle. Have some pure, clean water. Bottle upon bottle. I bring bottle upon bottle.
We’ll clear the smell of dung. We’ll clear the smell of ashes.
...
20 Great Nothingness
觀 Guān ||¦¦¦¦
Wu
Libretto by Eugenie Chan
21 Bzz
噬嗑 Shì Kè |¦|¦¦|
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
Abandoned tire.
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
Dried-up well.
Bzz.
Libretto by Eugenie Chan
22 Village of Rocks
賁 Bì |¦¦|¦|
I’d like the stone to be smooth please. Granite please. River rock please. Rough-hewn please. Hand-carved, please. Jingh jihi: Guang Dong, Poon Yu, Ah Woo Chuen, Wong Mouh Bouh, Gaa Jau, Saam Faan Sih yahn. Saang yú yaht gauh ing sahp ing neen, chut yuet, yah ing yaht Joong yú? Gwok moon, Wong see, Wei Lan jih mouh. Frances Wong: F. R. A. N. C. E. S. E. S. Please. I’m a girl. Born in...
23 Bump and Grind
剝 Bō |¦¦¦¦¦
This is the bump and grind. This is the bump and grind. Woohoo, tassles fly. A spurt. A squirt. Mile-high: glug glug glug.
This is the bump and grind. This is the bump and grind. Boom chaka chaka chaka boom. Boom chaka chaka chaka boom boom boom.
Gimme an H. H. Gimme a 2. 2. Gimme an O. H2 Oh-oh,
My god. I’m dripping, I’m salivating, positively wet.
Split me. Split me. I’m da...
24 Coming Home
復 Fù ¦¦¦¦¦|
Coming home I find nothing there. A lawn an empty patch of grass. Dry yellow thing. Looks like the dog peed on it.
Old Ah-mah sitting in a rocking chair not smiling, not frowning, yawning.
I ask:
When did Ah-Yeh come home from the war? ’43 ‘44 ‘45?
How many kids did you have? Too many to remember.
How did you learn English? What did you do when people asked you to sign your name?...
25 Barefoot in the Rain
無 妄 Wú Wàng |||¦¦|
I miss when I was eight. I miss leaving my shoes behind walking barefoot in the rain.
Filthy city street. Mom says you’re diseased.
Rain rain wash away Wash away the filthy street: splash, splish, swirl, stomp, splash, splish, swirl, stomp, splash, splish, swirl, stomp, stomp.
I miss ensenene. I miss finding fruit to pick walking barefoot in the rain.
Filthy city street....
26 Trecherous Water
大畜 Dà Chù |¦¦|||
Treacherous water, I put you in a pool and swim in you.
Treacherous water, I won’t drink you. Drinking means peeing. Peeing on a road trip with us four in back to Murchinson Falls or Sandy Beach. Dad in the driver’s seat. Brothers on each side. I am tucked in the back, sandwiched in the middle, luggage falls upon me.
Treacherous water, don’t make me pee. I squeeze my legs...
27 Inside the Bottle
頤 Yí |¦¦¦¦|
Mmm.
Inside the bottle, mmm, sloshes water that has been extracted, osmosified, ozoned, electrolyted, filtered and purified for our consumption.
In the process aquifers are depleted, ancient marshes dry. spawning habits are disrupted and mudflats are formed.
Mmm.
Inside the bottle, mmm, resides a right that has been branded, commodified, marketed, exalted, rarified and sold from...
28 Hush Now
大過 Dà Guò ¦||||¦
(Woman cradles bottled water.)
There there hush now.
I find you and take you away from revolution.
There there hush now.
I will not no no not suffer from revolution.
How dare that Derrick tell me not to buy. Those others are indecent. They suffer indignity drinking from that dirty well of revolution.
There there hush now.
we are alone. I open you and taste you all on my...
29 Carp Gorge
坎 Kǎn ¦|¦¦|¦
Dead bodies pulled from the River Tigris.
Dead bodies pulled from the River Tigris.
Carp gorge on human flesh.
Libretto by Edisa Weeks
30 Without Electricity
離 Lí |¦||¦|
Ma(a).
The Invasion targeted electrical facilities. As a result residents receive on average one hour of electricity a day. Before residents received 16 to 24 hours of electricity.
Ma(a).
Without electricity water cannot be pumped into homes. No water means the farms and orchards are desolate, their owners jobless.
No electricity means no refrigeration. Vaccines spoil. An entire...
31 Open Ocean Ahead
咸 Xián ¦|||¦¦
Like a pregnant woman the canoe is heavy with supplies.
Ferang revs the engine. The acrid scent of petrol fills the air.
Heart in my mouth. Bite down fast so it won’t escape. I’m not ready to die. I’m not ready to. I’m not ready.
Open ocean ahead.
Massive waves rise like skyscrapers. We climb, balancing at the top, then plummet down down.
Heart in my mouth. Bite down fast so it...
32 Duration
恆 Héng ¦¦|||¦
I.C.E. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE: Securing the homeland.
Hielo.
Alarmed by tales of disease people drop sterilization pills into the frozen blocks of yellow ice.
Hielo. Hielo.
Rana ate imported ice cream, explaining that she did not eat the local ice cream for fear of nuclear contamination in the milk.
Hielo. Hielo. Hielo.
It is forbidden to sell ice because...
33 Brine
遯 Dùn ||||¦¦
I think I think of you too much. I think of you, your lips and tongue, your throat, I dwell too much on hands and fingers, how they’d link and twine and grip and tremble, how they’d tell me what they want. I think of breath: Gasps and little laughs and exhalations, almost sighs or moans but not, not yet. I think of sand and silences, of air gone cold, the ghost left by your...
34 I Float
大壯 Dà zhuàng ¦¦||||
I and my goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the… Goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the the good rise.
float…float…float… bob…bob…bob… heart…heart…heart… throb…throb…throb… sing…sing…re- lease…lease…lease… dread…dread…dread… peace…peace…peace…
I and my goes I release with and a a I and we and for and the the… Goes I release with and a a I...
35 A Bargain
晉 Jìn |¦|¦¦¦
Psst. Thirsty? Let me offer a sip from my private reserve. Smooth, isn’t it? Would you like some more? Only $4.95 for the second sip, and that’s a bargain. Sure, ask around. See what the others have to offer, but first, let me show you my full collection.
Rainwater: $39.95 a gallon. Almost no acid or radioactive tinge.
Desalinated seawater: $24.95 a gallon. Now with 30% less oil.
...
36 Plish
明夷 Míng Yí ¦¦¦|¦|
My neighbor’s sprinkler head goes plish plish plish plish… The voice on the radio warns me: they will rise up and destroy us. The voice on the radio reveals: they poison our water with more water. The voice on the radio speaks clearly: we can’t wait any longer. Can’t wait any longer. Can’t wait. We can’t. Can’t.
I come out of the garage. He’s ripping through the soft dark brown...
37 Puckered Skin
家人 Jiā Rén ||¦|¦|
Mama’s got a swimming pool but she don’t let Daddy swim. Mama’s got a swimming pool but she don’t let Daddy swim. Till Daddy puts his swim suit on she ain’t gonna let Daddy in.
Mama’s got a diving board but she don’t let Daddy dive. Mama’s got a diving board but she don’t let Daddy dive. Ain’t done a single belly flop while Mama, she’s done four or five.
Mama’s got a sauna but...
38 Aurora Borealis
睽 Kuí |¦|¦||
You warned me that the sun would set, Aurora.
Your eyes were green as tropical vines. Your skin as white as snow. Fire and ice both leave burns. This is why I glow.
Aurora, Aurora, let me shimmer in your eyes. Aurora, Aurora, let me shimmy in your thighs.
I did not hear the arctic winds blow across your perfect teeth. I zippered up our sleeping bag but icy floes ran underneath.
...
39 There Watching
蹇 Jiǎn ¦|¦|¦¦
There just below the surface a flicker of movement the only way I’ll ever see the fish beautiful and luminous is by holding holding very very still hardly breathing certainly not leaving to eat and then when I’m about to give up something will move and I’ll stay there longer so you see all you need do is suggest that someday you might say what I hunger to hear and here I am...
40 Jumped in the River
解 Xiè ¦¦|¦|¦
I jumped in the river and what did I see A band of angels comin’ after me. Their feathered wings did drag them down. I laughed as I watched them drown.
I jumped in the river and what did I see A band of devils comin’ after me. Their leathery wings did flounder round. I laughed as I watched them drown.
I jumped in the river and what did I see A lonely woman comin’ after me. The...
41 Sunset
損 Sǔn |¦¦¦||
Sunset… Rays glisten path narrows sinks down. Sooraj doobnal doobei…
Libretto by Archana Kumar
42 Bounce
益 Yì ||¦¦¦|
Gol bounce bounce bounce from a pebble’s yi yi yi yi yi yi yi chota chota chota patther Gol
Libretto by Archana Kumar
43 Image
夬 Guài ¦|||||
tasveer kinaara guai mallipoo
Libretto by Archana Kumar
44 Translucence
姤 Gòu |||||¦
burqa/gou
Libretto by Archana Kumar
45 Droplets
萃 Cuì ¦||¦¦¦
A zillion tiny droplets inside this handsome jar. cui cui cui cui cui cui cui cui cui cui boondhe dressed in self-inscribed hazaarein structured lines.
Libretto by Archana Kumar
46 Growing
升 Shēng ¦¦¦||¦
aawaaz/badan sh sh sheng sheng sh sh sh sh sh sh
Libretto by Archana Kumar
47 Withered Lilac
困 Kùn ¦||¦|¦
hawa kun k k kun kun k k withered lilac flowers pour your juice into the air.
Libretto by Archana Kumar
48 The Well
井 Jǐng ¦|¦||¦
chupke andheraa hear their photosynthesis… dark abyss jing
Libretto by Archana Kumar
49 Red Drops
革 Gé ¦|||¦|
Warning. A Warming. drop Warning. of Warming. wa Warning. ter Warming. will Warning. be Warming. worth mnmnmn a mnmnmn drop mnmnmn of mnmnmn blood.
Warmnmn Red Warnmnm rain. Warmnmn Earth Warmnmn revolts.
Abunai. Aviso. My Abunai. eyes Aviso. are Abunai. dry Aviso.
Warning. Warming.
Libretto by Vivian Umino
50 Yellow Polka Dot
鼎 Dǐng |¦|||¦
A yellow polka dot bikini lays somewhere (warming) inside the ocean of memory.
mnmnmnmnmnmmnmn Flung far, far away.
Warmnmnmnmnmnmning.
Now I drag the moist memory to my parched mind of the day he said no, When he should have said yes.
Abunai. Aviso. Warning.
Libretto by Vivian Umino