To begin ...

As the twentieth century fades out
the nineteenth begins
.......................................again
it is as if nothing happened
though those who lived it thought
that everything was happening
enough to name a world for & a time
to hold it in your hand
unlimited.......the last delusion
like the perfect mask of death

Friday, February 6, 2009

Gematria (4): Two Poems, for Allan Kaprow & Tom Phillips


“SEVENTY”: A BIRTHDAY GEMATRIA FOR ALLAN KAPROW

so
I bring him
the wine

& stretch out
in life
howling

like the sand
in my ears

these were
poor
were worn old
& were sore

his life
in your hand
[or] in our hand

trembling
in greatness

so
right
correct

whatsoever

Paris 1997


THREE GEMATRIA, FOR TOM PHILLIPS

[1] Tom = 9 + 1 + 40 = 50

all
the man

his blood
red

a sea
to his hand

in the night


[2] Phillips = 80 + 10 + 30 + 10 + 80 + 60 = 270

evil
displeases

anger
cries out

a stranger
descending

was angry
& hurt

“foreigner
“alien

“tender
“like lambs


[3] Humument = 5 + 6 + 40 + 6 + 40 + 70 + 50 + 9 = 226

you have spoken

according to
its length

spread abroad
& to the side

before our eyes

like so

[Two previously unpublished gematria poems, these will appear later this year in Gematria Complete, to be published by Mariela Griffor’s Marick Press. The process, as elsewhere, is based on a quasi-aleatory system of traditional Hebrew numerology.]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing...
___________________
Julie
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Henry Lawson Poems said...

Very visual, wonderfully written.