Mandelstam

. . . wiped out a month . . . four months . . . most of the past . . . because if it can't be (re)stored / (re)collected / (re)lived / (re) searched / (re)membered. . . it may be gone . . . if it goes where does it go . . . needing to begin . . . needing to end . . . will be missed . . .
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. " - Samuel Beckett (via archipelago )

. . . lots of reasons . . . started the experiment under the influence of theater & the act defies preservation . . . the appearance remains . . . the guts (soul) removed . . . the empty space . . .

_______________________________

17

I grew out of a dark, vicious
swamp, rustling like a thin reed,
breathing a forbidden life
languidly, passionately, sweetly.

No one sees me
drooping into my cold, marshy home,
welcomed by the quick whispers
of autumnal time.

I like this cruelty, this insult,
and in this dream-like life
I envy everyone in secret,
I'm secretly in love with all of you.

______________________________

Osip Emilevich Mandelstam
(trans. Burton Raffel & Alla Burago)

Popular posts from this blog

Heart Play

My thoughts are wounds in my head. My brain is a scar. I want to be a machine. Arms to drag legs to walk no pain no thinking. (Heiner Müller , 'Hamletmachine' ) Heartplay A May I lay my heart at your feet. B If you don't make a mess on my floor.. A My heart is clean.. B We'll see, won't we.. A I can't get it out.. B Would you like me to help you.. A If you wouldn't mind.. B It'll be a pleasure. I can't get it out either.. A cries. B I will remove it surgically. What have I got this penknife for anyway. We'll have this sorted out in no time. work will keep you from despair. Right, there we are. But this is a brick. Your heart is a red brick.. A Yes, but it beats only for you.. (1981) A beats B to death with the brick.. (Addition, July 1991). ------------- Heiner Müller ----------------- from Heiner Müller Theatremachine translated and edited by Marc von Henning
Read more

Dobong

Image
 ... moved into a new place ...  ... first night there in a deep sleep was visited by a short middle aged man ... well dressed in a black suit ... seemed to be Korean but not sure ... although silent the figure's presence was so strong i was pulled out of dream to fully awake ... as I lay in bed the after image of him remained standing silently in the hallway just outside the open bedroom door ... he wasn't really looking at me but i felt he sensed i was now aware of his presence and didn't wish to startle me ... finally assured he was a dream figure i fell back to sleep ... only later to be visited again ...  this time not in dream but upon waking saw him standing fully in the doorway ...  a serious, calm face he looked directly into my eyes ...  ...  i knew he was an apparition  & examined his demeanour ... he was likewise examining me with a gentle questioning look ... oh a previous owner of the apartment i thought ... he didn't move or speak just stood still ...
Read more
* The teacher rarely tells students what he thinks. * Generally, he does not accept a single statement as an answer to a question. * He encourages student-student interaction as opposed to student-teacher interaction, generally avoids acting as a mediator or judging the quality of ideas expressed. * His lessons develop from the responses of students and not from a previously determined "logical" structure. (Postman & Weingartner, 1969, p. 33-36) * Generally, each of his lessons pose a problem for students. * He rarely summarizes the positions taken by students on the learnings that occur. He recognizes that the act of summary or "closure" tends to have the effect of ending further thought. "* He rarely summarizes the positions taken by students on the learnings that occur. He recognizes that the act of summary or "closure" tends to have the effect of ending further thought." ( Teaching as a Subversive Activity: Book Review ) (via Incorporat
Read more