D I U 11 12 september 94 FIRST SUN SUBTITLED FREE ENTERNCE I FORMS IN OPEN A (premonition of "Only One By Halves") Tread in fallow depth pretended field known or unknown cast of a spell. To hold antiquated Real antiquated Dreamsong antiquated Island borne periphery and shields imagined or androgynous light (quote from the ever-yet-to-be completed song cycle "The Seven Suns of He" an as-of-now recommended text) -The As-Of-Yet Undescribed Student Body so having read the complaints re the messerli anthology i agree for the most part and even would be harsher probably in some ways yet at the same time find myself in a situation where i must actually teach from this text, and someone asked me if i would write a review of it and i said you gotta be kidding.... however, it then struck me that there are actually some good poems in the anthology, though not as many as one would wish-- and my anger became directed not simply at the anthology's claims of being representative of not being upfront with its agenda, but of the whole notion of anthologies and the whole breadth vs. depth problem --- I mean, wouldn't it be really subversive in a certain way to write --in lieu of a review of the anthology an explication of one or two of the poems in it and in this sense foreground not only the arbitrariness of my 'agenda' but of agendas as such, as well as perhaps encourage or foster a dialogue on depth perhaps a little more than this swaggering breadth that seems to be encouraged by much of the poetry scene, that makes it sometimes little more than gossip in the most crowded sense of the word without space.... i mean like turning to writing for the sake of space--- i mean the paradox of "I NEED TIME TO BE MYSELF IN" which may imply a suspicion of spontaneity, etc. etc. but it doesn't have to--the point is when all these "balls" are being hurled at your "pins" one must strategically maneuver in order to be authentic, since these so-called complications may be craved by one such as me as something in the poetry scene of high worth, yet at the same time, it can get out of hand and nothing REAL happens beyond mere hustlers and see-through sycophants territortially pissing. THIS IS A QUESTION, then I pose, WHAT IS SELF-EVIDENT, in a world in which things like "pain" and "truth" are awfully superfluous and fuddy duddy and "revolutionary" is an empty word and when I hear the word COUNTERCULTURE I too reach for my wallet. --Claudia mess the messerli mess continues--call me anything but ishmael or my initials the point is also that the hoover anthlogy is actually more teacher friendly and i originally chose not to teach it because it's Norton and official and establishment and everything. But, I may throw my hat in with Hoover next semester I teach contemporary poetry unless that Joris international anthology , with poems like "Foam" and "Mad Mad Mad" in it is out by then. Both Hoover and Messerli make the same mistake of going with "At Egypt" for Coolidge than "Mine" or "Crystal Text". Messerli is pretty bad when it comes to Baraka. As well as Scalapino, Diane Ward and definitely picked a really bad O'Hara selection....The lack of David Shapiro is noticeable. and regrettable. But, exposing my "New York School" biases I must admit that at least the Ashbery selection is not ridiculous (except for the last two poems---hey has anybody have access to the poem that awful "mainstream" poet John Haines wrote as an Ashbery parody--it's called "Hotel Laundrymat"--and I'd like to see it if is worth some kind of a LAFF)--- I mean though Ashbery's FORTE is generally poems way too long to fit in an anthology--at least Messerli pickd a good selection of medium length Ashbery from TENNIS COURT AND HOUSEBOAT DAYS, nice complements to each other, that move out into that kind of opening Ashbery is one of the few contemporaries to achieve... I also think the DUNCAN selection is not TOTALLY hideous, and will definitely teach "Bending The Bow" which is at least as good of a poem as the overexposed "Often I am Permitted" which Messerli perhaps justly excludes....More later.... RESPONSE TO GUANTANAMO BEY Then folks echo a new cheap joy and a divine voice leaping from their brains: How beautiful is candor! All faults may be forgiven of him who has perfect candor. Walt Whitman, preface to _Leaves of Grass_ Not that I think Guantanamo Bey has "perfect" candor. (Is there such a thing?) But certainly _my_ brain echoes the "cheap joy" of her "divine voice." (What does "Bey" mean anyway? Is it a religious title? Is Guantanmo a relative of Hakim? I cite the word divine in triple quotes: Her "`"divine"' voice.") I read tonight that Harlan Ellison's goal in editing the three volumes of _Dangerous Visions_ was to include _every_ science fiction writer active in the genre. These were books that sought to present to the public short stories that could not have been published in other venues. He solicited daring or experimental stories, often cajoled the writers who resisted inclusion. He was not always successful but his goal _was_ inclusion. And this didn't keep him from rejecting work, but when he rejected, he ejected the _work_, not the author. What would such a series of anthologies look like in poetry? What if the goal was to include everyone? One poem from every poet active in the genre. Experimental or daring work. A celebration of candor. Descriptions of an Imaginary Anthology. --Captain Bee-fart The fact is that all knowledge is knowledge relevant only to the autonomy of the knower (see the bibliography in _diu1_ on Autonomy and Self- Reference). The origin of knowledge is local to the knower and the object of knowledge includes the knower's knowledge of it. If I or I draw even the crudest map, there is one space where the map and the world coincide precisely, and that is the place where whichever one is located. Any communication involves complex negotiations between the secure space on my or my map to the secure space on yours or yours. Institutions of knowledge, recognizing the complexity of this situation, propose a universal point by way of which communication can be routed. The complex topology, however, cannot be handled by such a simple construct. This simplification, sadly, has proven unworkable. It takes attention, time, practice. It is necessary to pay attention to every thing. This is slow and demanding. The language necessary to any transmission must be created for that transmission. Language is not money. There is no mental coin of the realm. This is not the solipsistic business of making sense for one's "self," which is just another social construct, like the universal point (located inside rather than otuside), but for one's organism. I am talking meat not structural ideality. Knowing is an organic function, not social, self(ish), psychological. Most of our conceptions of knowledge are merely and emptily psychological, not organic in the sense that all knowledge is knowledge of an observer, and the observer is observing him-herself is what is known. We share things with other people, not because we are subject to some external institution but because we are all roughly the same kinds of animals. This, not some social bullshit, is the reason it is important to negotiate the differences between males and females and between male and female styles of knowing. The organic structures are somewhat different, but they are also mutually dependent upon one another for necessary organic functions. The important fact about the resurgence of the feminine is the enlargement of the possibility of human knowing. Human autonomy is not logical; gender is not required by logic. It happens that the species can be sorted, with considerable statistical accuracy into two kinds. Gender difference is a dimension on the map, like space, time, ethnic background, social class, and so forth. The measures of all of these dimensions are ethical, not physical, values. There is a possibility that knowledge not be a committee product. It might be moveable, so it is local to everyone's location. --Thus, Albert or Hubert Readlist, The Last Days of the White Race Radio Free Northamerica, 9 Sept. 1994 Jean Toomer, "Kabnis" (part 2)/*Cane* Melvin B. Tolson/from *Libretto for the Republicof Liberia* Aime Cesaire, "flint warrior through all words"/*Lyric and Dramatic Poetry* Clayton Eshleman, "Under Louse Arrest"/*Under House Arrest* Anon., "The Cow Needs a Tail in Fly-Time"/*Negro Folk Rhymes* George Moses Horton, "Troubled with the Itch and Rubbing with Sulphur"/*African American Poetry of the Nineteenth Century* Halsey: Now I know you weren't born yesterday, sprung up so rapid like you aint heard of the brick thrown in th hornets' nest. (Laughs.) Kabnis: Hardly, hardly, I know-- Halsey: Course y do. (To Layman) See, Northern niggers aint as dumb as they mak out t be. Kabnis (overlooking the remark): Just stirs them up to sting. --JT *Lia! Lia!* The river Wagadu, he river Bagana, Became dusty metaphors where white ants ate canoes, And the locust Portuguese raped the maiden crops, And the sirocco Spaniard razed the city-states, And the leopard Saracen bolted his scimitar into The jugular vein of Timbuktu. *Dieu seul est grand!* --MBT i enunciate you FANON you scratch the iron you scratch the bars of the jail you scratch the gaze of the torturer flint warrior vomitted through the mangrove swamp serpent's snout --AC I am anchored to Sonoron pronghorn, to Queensland rat kangaroo, to white headed saki, to you, disgusting plague of novelty, shield against which men have crushed the underworld --CE Dat Nigger Overseer, dat's a-ridin' on a mule, Cain't make hisse'f white lak de lime; Mosser mought take 'im down fer a notch or two, Den de cow'd need a tail in fly-time. --anon. 'Tis bitter, yet 'tis sweet; Scratching effects but transient ease; Pleasure and pain together meet And vanish as they please. --GMH tales from the riverbank wrpi 91.5 fm troy ny 8 sept 94 0811-1205 MC Sloaar--"Prose Combat"/Prose Combat Weba World--"F.O.G. (Fear of Gurus)|Diane Arbus|I See A Smile|Not So Pretty| Wild Bill|Highway to Hell|Dancing Naked|If Wrinkles|Ventilator| Goldfinger"/Welcome to Weba World - Baka Forest People--"Water Drums 1"/The Best of Both Worlds Friesen/Moore/Pepper/Priester/Waldron--"Autumn Leaves"/Remembering the Moment Salt-n-Pepa--"Heaven + Hell"/None of Your Business Cedella Booker Marley--"Mother Don't Cry"/Best of Both Worlds Archie Shepp--"Brotherhood at Ketchoua|We Have Come Back"/ Live at the Pan American Festival Archie Shepp--""Huru"/Live in Antibes Stefan Said--"Let the Motor Be Broken"/cassette - Ginsberg--"Pacific High Studio Mantras"/Holy Soul Jelly Roll - Diamanda Galas--"Skotosene"/The Sporting Life Sheila Chandra--"Speaking in Tongues IV"/The Zen Kiss Fred Ho & the Afro-Asian Ensemble--"Toys + Solos"/The Underground Railroad to My Heart Randy Weston Sextet--"Afro-Black"/Monterey '66 Cesaria Evora--"Cabo Verde"/Mar Azul - Ginsberg--"Howl Pt. 2"/Holy Soul Jelly Roll precious little remains, as... (fwd) (1) We can only believe in scale. (2) Communities* (and consequently, most values), are rarely possible. (3) Our technology is our culture. --bb D e s c r y p t i o n s o f a n I m a g i n a r y Universe - i tt y | cf2785@albnyvms.bitnet