February 5, 2005: Festival of the Center of the Number
coal-age poem: BASSO POEFrOUNDo
a score for two or more voices
Undergound behind rockface
 
 
not far from ravine
down with nothing between
 
 
fallen place, singular wildness
stratum after stratum

     level by level

 
 
   aspect dreary,

degraded Babylon

Rusted shade of fog

     sockets of dust

 
 
     ruins chaotic

strewn wreck gigantic

tracks in dirt

Promonontory Wall

 
 
    no art detected

shapeless intermingled marl

fierce dream of roof-struts

mercurial insomnias

 
 
   granulated traces

desolate sight immense

Eyelids holes pouring

long eyes on desert

 
 
elsewhere found immediate

    distant view several

vigil skull as basin

mist into silhouette

 
 
     concealment proceeded

threading route rushed time

shadow recedes vanishing

trees keep going

 
 
thrown from precipice

    cast aside order

minutes pass roving

light without light

 
 
firing quick purpose

ever killing masters

one who sits on edge

one who listens never

 
 
rapidly had reality

dead in contemplation

 
words arranged from one page each:

THE BEAK DOCTOR by Eric BASSO
THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM by Edgar Allan POE

 

David Baptiste Chirot