P R A I S E F O R U N N A T U R A L B I R D M I G R A T O R

"It is commanded that you read the incantoxications inscribed herein: chants against the toxic forces of history, chants inducing euphoria akin to intoxication, that oracular pharmakon that embodies and staves off catastrophe, chants to induce laughterwisdominsight –ugh! No! chants to induce uneasedisequilibriuminnermigration … How many things can a (Jewish) mouth do? How many languages can one (Jewish) sensorium accommodate? How many tongues –one for each sense, one for each function –can worship one single God in one single mouth? Why single? Why not heteroglottal? Why not intermulticrosslingual? Who wants to know? You should. This book, this mouth, this wit, these migratory languages. Incandescent. Raving. And lit. in all the right ways."

—Maria Damon, author of The Dark End of the Street

"Unnatural Bird Migrator ignites immediacy. It casts spells. Indeed one's cells feel subsumed by primordial realia having nothing in common with the plagiarized density that purports to signify experience reduced as it is to secular equation by lucre. Resnikoff's UNBM roams via the telepathy of 'wonder.' As readers we begin to gather experience that articulates a plane suffused by magnificence, by the voice of the uncanny. This being language that allows us to crystallize fever, to excavate hunches via the mathematics of power."

—Will Alexander, author of Across the Vapour Gulf "Translation, transformation, echo, recall, recollection, migration — Ariel Resnikoff makes diaspora home in these multilexical, iconoclastic, antic lyrics, blessings, and curses. 'Held in the ancient footlights of time.'"

—Charles Bernstein, author of Near/Miss

"If transliterated from Hebrew and Aramaic 'od' is a 'going around…with force and abundance,' with ferocity and sensorial luxuriance, Ariel Resnikoff’sUnnatural Bird Migrator erupts as not just 'odd practices of a false messiah', but a force-filled prescient lament and celebration of translingual possession, procession, precession; marked by licks’ spit, split-tongued myths, rituals prayers, rasps, gasps, rattles ciphers seeds, spells where every letter is a universe, hovering through incantatory chants of radical hybridity."

—Adeena Karasick, author of Salomé: Woman of Valor

"Unnatural Bird Migrator is a book that’s got kishkes [lit. guts]. Ariel Resnikoff creates a midrashic translingual poetics that joins ancestral echoes with contemporary lyric, where inherited speech is never without questioning or transgression. Through 'poetic deformance,' the reader is pushed to 'notice/who speaks & who is spoken,' as the biblical collides with the new. Unnatural Bird Migrator excavates the gaps between languages (Yiddish-, Hebrew-, Aramaic-, Akkadian- Englishes) so that 'we are disoriented, finally,' able to see poem as 'perpetual displacement' incantatory in all the best ways."

—erica kaufman, author of Post Classic "Wreaking havoc on the unity of an ur-language and the Book of books, that formidable repository of truth and authenticity, Unnatural Bird Migrator runs the gamut from a Schwerner- esque rendering of lower-case tablets (Resnikoff’s translinguistic transcreations from Aramaic and Hebrew to Akkadian and Yiddish) to paratactic surveys of Middle East politics (where 'the land is not invented tho the claim to/ owning it is') and contemporary Jewish life. Installing as many differences as he raises, Resnikoff insists that since 'the border is a grammar built on power,' the agrammatical allows us to see that 'this is just on the other side of this.' Crossing back and forth between the real and the false, faith and heresy, Unnatural Bird Migrator refuses all modes of piety, reminding us 'how a single prayer springs to language, resting btwn tongue &/ tooth momentarily, sways a military buoy…'A leveled Babel all too pertinent for our time, Unnatural Bird Migrator explodes the semantic field of every language it engorges."

—Tyrone Williams, author of As iZ the operating system glossarium / unsilenced texts print//document UNNATURAL BIRD MIGRATOR

ISBN 978-1-946031-87-7 Library of Congress Control Number 2020935471 copyright © 2020 by Ariel Resnikoff designed by Riv Weinstock with the OS Open Design Protocol edited by ELÆ [Lynne DeSilva-Johnson] and Riv Weinstock

is released under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non Commercial, No Derivatives) License: its reproduction is encouraged for those who otherwise could not aff ord its purchase in the case of academic, personal, and other creative usage from which no profi t will accrue. Complete rules and restrictions are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ For additional questions regarding reproduction, quotation, or to request a pdf for review contact [email protected]

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Th is text was set in Freight Sans, beer money, Minion and Narkisim. Cover art: Michael Sgan-Cohen קן לציפור, כן לציפור, דרור לציפור Unnatural Bird Migrator Silkscreen & Acrylic on paper, 1983 (c) Courtesy of the Artist's Estate the operating system brooklyn & worldwide www.theoperatingsystem.org UNNATURAL BIRD MIGRATOR

Ariel Resnikoff nest of the bird

yes to the bird

liberation of the bird

For Rivkale, Feygele & Zamir Shulem Ernest & In memory of Michael Sgan-Cohen

Pierre Joris // Preface : A Nomad Language Migrator 15 Lick & Spit // Membrane Chant 21

CONTENTS א YINGLOSSIA

Prologue 27 First Speech 30 Friendly Face 31 Down the Old Hatch 32 Lizards Laugh 33 Minkhe 34 Blessed Are We 36 First Burial 37 Moyl Song 38 Rebitsn \\ Rebbe 39 Common Sense 40 Parvenu 41 Behind the Schola 42 Second Speech 43 Acute Pain 44 Second Burial 45 Goad & Needle 46 Impure Bone 47 Any Holiday 48 ב FROMSHIBBOLETH

Third Space 55 Approaching the Black Sea 72 73 Poland-Palestine Letter 75 Con(de)struction 76 Sliced from the Stairs & w/ all the Stairs

LICK & SPIT: TRANSINCANTATIONS

81 Incantation from the Bowels 82 Gods of Night 83 Snake Chant 84 Inward Murmur 85 Snake Chant 86 Knots Undone 88 Snake Chant 89 From Distress 90 Khurbn Life ג DAYBOOKS

97 Lev Daas 98 Faliyah 99 Shvarim 101 A Fig 103 Sukkos 104 Lawnsong 105 Lost Languages 106 Shpatsirn

AVOIDANCES

111 Bird Valley Golden Circle 112 The Spy 113 Knee-shot & the Widow 114 Wisdom Change 115 From Mannequins 117 Deforming Lights 118 Not from Memory 125 Yinglossia: Studies 1-5 127 ד

CODA: EVERY NEW POET

Coda: Every New Poet 137 Unnatural Bird Migrator 143

| /// 15 /// P R E F A C E : : F A C E P R E . A N O M A D L A N G U A G E M I G R A T O R A G E M I G R A A D L A N G U A N O M An old old saying I invented tomorrow as a spanking new a spanking as tomorrow I invented saying old old An in something it too has will be & that true yesterday proverb the is “exile be — that may that — wherever English close to in other all the different something & says have” we home only this as or & from, into it translate cannot & can I languages way, think,I is, one It exiles alphabetic.” “abstracted it: bookputs Resnikoff’s Ariel Unnatural into Bird useful maybe a and way, Migrator all known have should we what is thebook clear makes What the multiple is Babel Babble original language, no is there along: the onto up clambers mensch that of in the skull-pot lingo-stew and aside, an As Scary? Yes. the anthroposcene. as known stage taken in the confusarium always I have pleasure the sheer beyond I why obviously reason — one lingos of pot smelting our of always have — I myself hand in the book at so much delight be would sentence last if my what wo, wo, wo-ndered/wo-rried: speaksme anymore around one no which language first in my That translate? to be there who’d the scene, leaving me with & the the book, through at half-way about back came thought the plural as be “Yinglossias” (should the Yinglossiads of end new a defining as naturally came “…iads” but “Yinglossia” of by the after shortly followed A thought possibly). poetic genre, my on “Exile” the word to point maybe I could that suggestion my neither Arabic, read can — if you tattoo only my forearm, recalled on, I strange read the as I And language. my last nor first that to somewhere York New I experiencedfrom a flight joy on me of in screen front little when the the afterlife yet not was query: The wait. “Please forgotten a now to this response gave being processed.” is requested have you language \\\ 16 \\\ | becomes first & rolethe foremost of poetry a question of need.” but it’s you when true; have no language at your to call all own, Howsurvival. absurd, says ‘self-exiled’ the — modernist high in multiple languages as a tool of at once poetry use & who of writers who, like me, have found themselves from/ inexile languageeveryday practice. In poetry, Idiscovered awhole slew to avoid apoet, became violence the that fluencyinflicts on my interests ‘fluency’; call perhaps & this is one the of reasons I level of my language practice inwhat monolingual ideological Sometimes Ifind in Aramaic.myself I am not interested at any Spanish. Sometimes Igo to French, sometimes to German. conversations, English, Hebrew, between Itoggle Yiddish & Throughoutthing. theday, letters,books, whether in or live “My life moves through multiple languages —that’s first the me quoteLet himfrom he gave an interview to Tinge Magazine: How Ariel Resnikoff does whatget to a call I “nomadpoetics?” from there, Imean from here, right now. lingo-mutations, only the tekné sentenced (not to life but to live) with &insuch ever-changing becomes anaborder in-between, & that sensed to needs be thus movement over ever-changing terrain, &thus terrain all is, as Isaid above, no language, original is translation, all then places are, All borders by everywhere. way, the borders. If there in by places inthe &being that walking matter, that is, in/on on living the skinof ‘istorin, as history what I&you participate &misuse,use with ways the are they engraved, tattooed, incised cuts” of haram, the kosher, &terefah halal languages we have & combines investigations of innards, the organs, offal & “prime powerfully Migrator Sanders’to Ed use Bird term.Unnatural daring inthat it is acutting-edge of act “investigative poetry,” lingo-stews, it first & mainlyall of exhilarates by its necessary Even often book throws ifthis back me to my own stammers & able to scout &report accurately | /// 17 /// Pierre Joris Pierre Victor, Montana Victor, October 13, 2020 je n'ai qu'une Derrida qu'une of the likes (je n'ai & quote go now could We Celan,with shares he , a formula mienne la pas n'est ce or langue, or dispute) would too, & I think I, Resnikoff Ariel that but with poetry, Bernstein (that Charles with agree home, closerto and in fact,is, the exploration medium, its as language written in which we ‘us’, of ground common the human of realization we know that on this: given insist briefly just let me but are), in keep need to we languages, foreign are all languages that do can you thing “The said: worst Venuti Lawrence what mind domesticating peta like by — it treat to is writing foreign with to let us the teaches of & this, proof Resnikoff’sis writing it.” them, & thus with & dance & joke run play wild, to languages their moves. us let them teach stammers?) worries? jubilates? Then the (exclaims? poet writes it the upon inflicted escapethe perpetual torments “to that happy, but mouth…” in a garbled seeks refuge dybbuk-tongue most is finally” — which disoriented, are “we that I believe, be) (to re-occidented: are we mean doesn’t it as useful long as just in, travel to & have can we directions more many are there (on) wide border open eyes the darkness lick can lookyou & these read poems. go now garlic-words, with it spike the real, of any or me, like someone “for it has Because Resnikoff Ariel as beneath language of terrain the breaking feel who us physically poetry feet, our in the necessary & most a temporary is dwelling a very means long here “temporary” I hope sense.” ceremonial embers”! the shekhina forever [h]e fan time: “May

& here I recall in the migration of the storks in their eastward season, & we the children used to shout at them: “Bocianie, bocianie, pali sie gniazdo!” — “the stork, the stork, the nest goes up in flames!”

—Avot Yeshurun

God, the cage has turned into a bird & it has flown

—Alejandra Pizarnik

| /// 21 /// i have let you you let i have lek un shpy my sorcery tricks my membrane my of the water with my membrane is bent bent is membrane my observed having yr my paralysis of mouth mouth of paralysis my espied the shape of yr membrane i have re- i have yr membrane of the shape espied L I C K & S P I T / / M E M B R A N E C H A N T B R A N E C H A S P I T / / M E M L I C K & maleficent hate’s evil messages plottings in front of šamaš i have drawn yr picture yr picture drawn i have šamaš of in front appearance yr crafted i have the evil-eye under let you having tied-up membrane suffer revenge my evil injustice’s murder yr head stop! may be spoken it may hands my of water & the cleansing nerve me god sent the enchanter traced yr figure i have strength yr & bent yr membrane bound have yr features produced nerves me did to the spell you you to done i have against

א

YINGLOSSIA & I shd know as little about it as I do this substance . . . aheym . . . the people of substance for a change turn the radio station to the “old days [lit. years of sobyetski] when money swirled the drain

& nobody complained in the middle of night [lit. at the hour of study] a sour odor filled the cafeteria; a stink [lit. rot]

bad breath [lit. putrid tongue] | /// 27 /// ​ractices ​trange p [lit. climbs up up climbs [lit. talks into the world talks into ​ existence Y I N G L O S S I A / / P R O L O G U E O S S I A / / P R O Y I N G L sickness from recuperating ​ who criticizes non- a man or pins [lit. restlessness talks into he is talking nonsense talking is he nonsense

odd ways power] [lit. say no walls] a bed-bug like creeps he look to where know doesn’t [lit. rhetorical] blind is he ruins the language stutterer the violent sickness talkshe into a mess making is he like eats he a horse thick-headed is in fog he in horseradish squirming is he all is malaria (ague) [lit. a cold? has he perhaps gets] he nothing has he boil] or itch an all [lit. at nothing has he s only, is he bewildered? he is taboo][lit. ​ if as eats he

\\\ 28 \\\ | it will help it will like blood-cupping on acorpse nothing help will he is fainting [lit. emptied] he appears to me messiah [lit. sarcasm] it hurts me it is voice the of afalse- it fits like a slapthe face in it is not becoming [lit. doesn’t fit] matter it doesn’t cdbe nonsense [lit. speech deformed tongue] expensive] the cheap as in: it is very [lit. impossibly as in:it is not worth of aknock earth there is still he never was [lit. intongues] speaking ithappened!never one leg] **out of following the which [lit. plan standing occurred on he is nothing at all children swallow him] he shd w/korach’s meet death [lit. earth the hell goto shd he he is only for good fowl [lit. sacrifice worthless] needles] he is ashame to our | /// 29 /// it will it do to willit have the wedding? will heal in time for it it must matter no & be healthy eat let us \\\ 30 \\\ | sigh…cd be…lies on be…lies non-sensesigh…cd square the talking & still excessively or not at agroan, all. maybe, even,adisparaging was attributed to [lit. inferior the merchandise]. now we talk twister, self-promoter, not human [lit. trusted to jew]. be dung as ascatterbrain,seen confuser, &somehow aconniver, also [lit. don’t throw ahook around my **astutterer nose]! was i predicted it. keep it likewise: moving! don’t botherme (re)lease. it my me, pleases see? told heart me so, see? a bargain for hire. chew-among-chews. the for rent or chokethey on tongues their [lit. languages]). real the article is humblethe he? berates somebody--does evil-ones (may the (cut-off [lit:what no sweat.else])? [lit. thegod name] respects praise thanks god! &pray. recite den vo 18benedictions. the Y INGLOSA/FRTPECH

| /// 31 /// from-where. ) depending on on ) depending in impending fire in impending ...... earth the in is a pit love the gargling solution shd be shd solution the gargling friendly face. a familiar face. face. friendly a familiar face. listen: you can shake-stammer can you listen: many times before, a caine-raiser times before, many carouser, mad man, mongrel, kyke -- kyke mongrel, man, mad carouser, fresh breath? o, that it shd come true! true! come shd it that o, breath? fresh i’ve been debauchee than called worse i’ve from stuffed cabbage to stuffed cabbage to cabbage stuffed to cabbage stuffed from like a hot bath. like a bowl of chopped meat. chopped of a bowl like bath. a hot like who bringeth forth bread from the earth, etc. from bread forth who bringeth Y I N G L O S S I A / / F R I E N D L Y F A C E E N D L Y F A C O S S I A / / F R I Y I N G L stuffed (holebshes/holishkes/holubtshe stuffed & so I made a mistake. so the words abrade. so what? abrade. so& so the words a mistake. I made stop banging on my head [lit. bargaining w/ my sanity] w/ my bargaining head [lit. my on banging stop to the common people, for a bargain say, not only to do to only not say, a bargain for people, the common to my heart’s heart’s see? heartache, my sweetheart (singing) for but business \\\ 32 \\\ | the youngestthe child] [lit. yrself] ruin name the curse [lit. spill guts] yr scream like hell [lit. make it sharp!] come to point the iii. & not achieving anything, but by starving our wits improvisation alone, drawing livelihood “from air” the -- norno trade, calling, income one --when is forced to live by onewhich arrives at one when has no business left to tend -- ii. magic transcription [lit. false-messiah] “funereal” shrewdness against ablack wall: [lit. the singed] scrapfringed covered mist [lit. litvish refuse]; Iwas spewing down old the hatch, skol! --&up my white mouth, onto bib, i. LZ for D OWNTHELAC Y INGLOSA/ --what’s difference? the [lit. as typicallyis recited by | /// 33 /// my speech -- my [lit. sweet tooth]: sweet [lit. hurry up! aren’t you done yet? done you hurry aren’t up! the smell of it, but can’t get rid of it . . . it ridof get can’t but it, of the smell Y I N G L O S S I A / / L I Z A R D S L A U G H A R D S L A U G O S S I A / / L I Z Y I N G L o forget it! you’re nothing more than a derelict nibbler nibbler a derelict than more nothing you’re it! o forget inf(l)ected tongue to the inspector-overseer of kashrus: of the inspector-overseer to inf(l)ected tongue now only god knows . . . so? well? move it along already! already! along it . . . so? move well? god knows only now lit. pig feed] doesn’t do a thing. not today & not tomorrow tomorrow & not today do a thing. not feed] doesn’t pig lit. it’s delicious [lit. the lizards laugh] -- they don’t let you live! live! let you -- they laugh] don’t the lizards [lit. delicious it’s it’s my own fault, I know [lit. I cooked it]. might vomit from from vomit might it]. I cooked [lit. I know fault, own my it’s tongue -- may it keep its distance! & the impure food [slang, food [slang, & the impure distance! its keep it -- may tongue difference does it make whether we live or die? inf(l)ectedthe we live make whether it does difference talk & talk off! & talk yr tongue a jewworks is who that it said meaningless rigmarole [slang, lit. scroll of esther] implanted in implanted esther] of scroll lit. [slang, rigmarole meaningless on the sabbath [lit. an invalid] is not fit to suck a ham. the long long the ham. a suck to fit not is invalid] an [lit. the sabbath on sweetheart darling child in me -- sweet little soul in me -- what -- what soul in me little -- sweet in me child sweetheart darling **the expert-connoisseur know-it-all brings a boil from the cut the cut a boil from brings know-it-all **the expert-connoisseur [lit. never after the closing prayer], but out of thin air hangs on. hangs air of thin out but prayer], closing the after never [lit. \\\ 34 \\\ | jewish jaw.jewish of tongue avirus the [lit. &teeth cheek &mouth]. phony milquetoast casper corrupts root-canals the of pure the w/ meatcurd-cheese,filled & the magic-worker,trickster, cross-eyedthe sickness took!”pockets first in small of dough gathersjews [lit. about legitimate] perfect --“he had been before apetulant excitability &barley: kidneys by agad-about gang of in ‘bakers handkerchiefs.’ dumplingspotatoes w/ & livers, filled groat-meal cooked-up in atpork stew belly & tied corners the [lit. “as ifit were” (pronounced little questions)]: [lit. idle fruitless jews not in“reality,” to say so inskins)them little ticklish --the prigs (technically, talkative stuffed (inflour derma & onion,salt, feffer & shmaltz, (to keep vision of god, in-labor, &after, old & young,eating plates of 121:dipsalm nomen fun melokhim [lit. names of angels] --a (from german, “kind-bet-tzettel”)] worn at containing birth, causeto (ie. sexual of ‘blind mixing’)]. inamulet [lit. charm, far-reachesthe of Bronx the [lit. alively Russian dance, usually groats w/broad at noodles akosher boarding-house-cafeteria in messianism]). raw groats &cooked (amess-up [lit. mix-up of]) transformation the see] of soars into (slang sacrifice [lit. false- for lap aspoiled of narrowly milk, achieved [lit. hardly lived to men of marriageable age [lit. little birds] crumpled into misfits eye, either way, say as they (tu-tu fever is of --is head it ajewish ashaygets There’s luck? evil no let us prepare ​ in praise &submission to ababy-son [yiddishism (derisive)] -- Annefor Tardos Y INGLOSA/MKHE the toolsthe for [lit. extraction from tongues]. ifthe how it does inf(l)ect? ver ), the canary keep away. canary ), the single )], round dumplings made of | /// 35 /// embers”! [lit. blessed is the vessel as it breaks] it as the vessel blessed is [lit. embers”! shekhina **in force of false laughter & aguish [lit. idling], the loafer the loafer idling], [lit. & aguish false laughter of **in force prayer-hall, the afternoon of out stumbles stutterer lox-addict the forever fan we “may in false & praise: thanks wreathing \\\ 36 \\\ | we are chopped-in [lit. herring &vodka w/the minced] English [lit. utter misery]) areblessed we, w/children (infractured &all there is no “complete man” to bribe, see? quite well, huh? it tho doesn’t work-out way the we planned. samethe to you! [hebraism, lit. big (derisive)] deal… someone hollers: . yrself go frig frighten me [lit. you little non-native of galicia])! jew that you shd threaten “holy the geese” upon entering (&don’t spill guts yr against synagogue the [lit. house-of-entry] spill guts yr against city the hall. spill guts. yr go to hell! [lit. may you choke on tongue] yr shit ocean. inthe [lit. at whistle aleviathan]). go away! go hump fish yr elsewhere (peddle whales w/the Y INGLOSA/BEDRW | /// 37 ///

tongues or what? what? or what? or what? or what? or [lit. purity] or what? what? or purity] [lit. only milkhig utensils? one way or (an)other. or way one butchered] at a bargain at butchered] try harder! recite the 18 prayers! the18 prayers! try recite harder! or what? yr cutlery kept separate? yr cutlery separate? what? or kept a quorum of men holding worship? holding men of a quorum a dietary constraint that cuts between cuts food? that a dietary constraint w/out promise [lit untruthfully] speaking untruthfully] in [lit promise w/out Y I N G L O S S I A / / F I R S T B U R I A L O S S I A / / F I R Y I N G L it doesn’t frighten me, see? i’m not having it, see? it, having not see? me, frighten i’m doesn’t it ‘bad taste.’ as an old bumbling hebrew teacher is w/out w/out is teacher hebrew bumbling old an as ‘bad taste.’ [lit. soured] & accused of crazy fowl chatter-cracklings. chatter-cracklings. & accused crazy fowl soured] of [lit. & perhaps on account of the indoor bath they bath call the indoor mikve of account on & perhaps [lit. one room school] -- i am called unpalatable called -- i am school] unpalatable room one [lit. heder his called crazy kyke & sold from house to house [lit. kosherly kosherly [lit. house to house called & sold from crazy kyke & xi. 13-2) lines handwritten on a goatskin parchment in 22 in parchment a goatskin on handwritten & xi. 13-2) lines i’m dying for it [lit. my soul expiring] -- that delicacy calledthat -- soul expiring] my [lit. it for dying i’m henceforth containing 2 tiny portions of deuteronomy (vi. 4-9 deuteronomy of portions 2 tiny containing henceforth for as the light said unto me, unto you there shall be a tiny box box a tiny be shall there you unto me, unto said light the as for \\\ 38 \\\ | a gutteral sputtering snort: “boor, mutter, mumbler (slang, [lit. uglyor interrupting])—in fumbled lock-jaw catch. un-fortunate no-one [lit. little pee-pot squirt] pupick designatorthe of indistaste disbelief &contempt for navel the Y INGLOSA/M penis urinator penis [lit. piss] infant—for male an | /// 39 /// . . ! whispering bite yr tongue! cash in advance. cash kyke”— (it was the rabbi’s wife the rabbi’s was (it soon be acting out a partsoon be acting out the inflammatory sickness starts sickness the inflammatory thru the slats: “for all do ya -- the good it’ll “for thru the slats: Y I N G L O S S I A / / R E B I T S N \ \ R E B B E I T S N \ \ R E B O S S I A / / R E B Y I N G L he who “compassions mercy”: rabbi, mister rabbi, dear rabbi, mister rabbi, mercy”: who “compassions he as he who “goes to the devil” [lit. speaks in tongues]—a tooth tooth speaks [lit. in tongues]—a the devil” to who “goes he as call me violent names “in a language of rags”; “the wandering wandering “the rags”; of “in a language names call violent me into his mother’s toe . . . (forgive me (or do I mis-speak? they (or me toe . . . (forgive mother’s his into —who knows if he’s the if he’s —who knows universe the of master heaven, in god o, in the mouth & works its way up. doesn’t bother w/ IOUs. pays pays IOUs. w/ bother doesn’t up. way its & works in the mouth ’s almost sarcastically over-pious [lit. to shout & get no answer] answer] no & get shout to [lit. over-pious sarcastically almost ’s real mccoy…! this “nervous” body talking non-sense, cd just as as body cd just talking non-sense, this “nervous” mccoy…! real \\\ 40 \\\ | bungler, luckless drag, poor sponger, butter-fingered shmock is king [americanism], ashrew asnake be clumsy can also mischievous child] or apoplectic wreck. where customer the or one]. wild ifto skinone: ahag-mare worthless one [lit. nothings for a“messenger drunkard” non-jewish [lit. impious [lit. one this bury is an uglyone]. &gather pleasure, little the of [lit. yrself to bottom the of throat]. yr prettier the ones they (before) mixof wool &linen!” now you oughta ashamed be old policeman’s slang: abrothel “it had been whorehouse ever after (awatchword quoting beadle greeting,the shtibl at laugh [lit. half-sarcastically]). at wig the wedding the she wore worlds,” as seven “beautiful the lettres, (belles &w/ahearty pious sheep, berating irreligious the “flout” who sacredthelaw. (professorial) makes who aliving type from it, gathering the (shouted), quiet, Isaid, shutup! there’s professional the you smack smack talking? (gently said) wd you keep quiet? don’t get excited [lit. burst into flame]. it stinks—what’re what a..!what kindof a..!what’s it matter to you, huh for Ted Greenwald Y INGLOSA/CME ? now | /// 41 /// ! ? survival & drunk tired-out tired-out cursing cursing in disorderly disorderly so now, get rid of it: rid of get so now, conceited & peevish conceited & sputtered as confused as & sputtered me bothersome hanger-on hanger-on bothersome me “the rich are too stuffed-up too stuffed-up are rich “the sulky & stuffed in a puffy in a shirt sulky & stuffed little pups [lit. overly made-up] made-up] overly [lit. pups little alas for a lack, woe unto whom woe unto a lack, alasfor “dear me!” (imitatingly —parvenu (imitatingly me!” “dear cut it short [lit. w/out intro(duction)] w/out [lit. short it cut to photograph [lit. stuffed in dead birds] birds] in dead stuffed [lit. photograph to Y I N G L O S S I A / / P A R V E N U O S S I A / / P A Y I N G L either too much or too little [lit. a wallop or a toot] or a wallop [lit. too little or too much either \\\ 42 \\\ | hold on --how’s this always ready all &sour. finally (pronounced phew a bent year! new it’s gone --it doesn’t matter. sour the cream’s schola the behind [lit. inasnored beast]. wild aside: khaye in blue &rotted cheese w/push-shove beef: vulgarism: vilde dough rolled-upthin bitssmaller toward quiet death. sweet-cakes inskin- prideful —tell children's the children! some fool. a bit of piece the tricks becomes dumb like apiece of wood” [lit. speech]) loses idiomatic for inclined to those heretics: “one who soup—piece-pits green stew (yiddishism, inaleafy shitting sorrel grass rich[lit. stone very the democrazy! rich]strong &brave, on religious the another wretched thing: pins inhis (aspanking-new toe proverb &needles preaching have you work? finishedthe dirty pious at “now an all-time-low: cut it short!” **quick quickly, watchman beggar the elijah cuts young mens’ Joris Pierre for B EHINDTSCOLA Y INGLOSA/ just how think it reflects )! listen -- | /// 43 /// starved & drunk but in a language of rags . . . rags of a language in but naïve, simple minded: a feeble big nose -- big deal! nose -- big big minded: a feeble simple naïve, Y I N G L O S S I A / / S E C O N D S P E E C H O N D S P E E C O S S I A / / S E C Y I N G L dipped in ham-baked-cheese carried under 7 rectangular carried in ham-baked-cheese 7 rectangular under dipped [lit. ass on the grass]. well certainly w/ small & each well the grass]. cakes on ass [lit. bread into a stream) the father papa daddy-dear or tateniu: tateniu: or daddy-dear papa the father a stream) into bread tokhes oyfn tish so? tokhes reallyis -- goodthat -- a taste, the flavor **during the ceremony of casting off of sins (crumbs of staleof (crumbs of sins off casting of the ceremony **during treasury of chewish law –- commandments i study at yr feet. yr feet. at i study –- commandments treasury law chewish of up) [lit. ass on the grass] day-to-day good-for-nothing dead- good-for-nothing day-to-day the grass] on ass [lit. up) the moon on a plate]. a dullard bethrothal we put up (or shut shut (or up put we bethrothal a dullard a plate]. on the moon my dear impossibly costly one -- y’re simply unattainable [lit. [lit. unattainable simply -- y’re one costly impossibly dear my prayer-shawls btwn the study hall’s walls. the complete deluxe deluxe walls. the complete hall’s the study btwn prayer-shawls \\\ 44 \\\ | hall’s to mark walls day the cut it out. photographs of tongue the are on posted study the dybuk tongue the vooz [lit. boo] away sleeping, &when later [slavic, lit. fool] named for Haman’s youngest son.**the jews bologna” sausage-cheese-noodle] or [lit vyzso fried cards, but what’s [lit. trick? the what’s cooking?] a“wound of difference?the capable of [lit.what’s on his tongue]the in all & oneye] what carries his lung, struts- asober but adrunk what’s what’re watch youout! my [lit. talking off? head throwto one’s one). ..you want? what what’s else? it matter (to me), huh? huh? what’s mother’s yr name? how come? how much? (awild [lit. ].how’s inf(l)ected business? how’s what’s tricks? name, yr knows?. who cd’ve who as such ruined to be believed? go choke on yrself killed! [lit. sits where to devil the say his mourning prayers]; get like me.jews i’m hell to on gaping them. earth as apit Ieatwhen my anti-semites, i’ll chewout them myself. they’re are you fooling? [lit. who’re you fucking over time)?] (this itch. but whom are you kidding? [lit. what’s joke?] the &whom in crawling ache [slang, lit. wandering &never stopped jew] to stuff--the & nonsense air,so yousay [lit.know from what]. a cute pain, usually appearing as oi vai zmir [lit. is woah me] for Jerome Rothenberg Y INGLOSA/CUTEP they recite they (incommunal prayer); drop dead! get lost! | /// 45 ///

dear son. my darling daughter darling my son. dear a mountain [lit. lie in the lie earth]. [lit. a mountain [yiddishism, thru ! [yiddishism, - pow bang punch, [lit. back on the horse & keep riding] & keep the horse on back [lit. set! all y’re **they place him in the ground. don’t worry, slob! worry, don’t **they him in the ground. place sexual taboo] in sparing a miserly uncouth & fake & fake sexual uncouth taboo] a miserly in sparing Y I N G L O S S I A / / S E C O N D B U R I A L O N D B U R I A O S S I A / / S E C Y I N G L blessed among an ashkenazi [lit. accent] recalling the recalling accent] [lit. ashkenazi an blessed among [lit. slobbish] fate makes unruly whirring [lit. can’t stop stop unruly can’t makes whirring [lit. fate slobbish] [lit. talking] & doesn’t shut its mouth. the sinner [lit. he who he [lit. the sinner mouth. its shut talking] & doesn’t tempts fate] sweet talks atop a pile of pins & bristly sticks sticks & bristly pins of a pile talks sweet atop fate] tempts dead: a mama zelig plotting our sins in 7-day-mourning postures [lit. a sitting a sitting [lit. postures in 7-day-mourning sins our plotting [lit may god prevent] but i haven’t got the faintest idea what. idea what. the faintest got i haven’t but god prevent] may [lit be happy! [lit. a shapely phrase] to be at pains to make sense make to pains beto phrase] at a shapely [lit. be happy! it. let it be. if it (you) shd be so [lit. well said]. good luck & be & good said]. be luck well shd so [lit. (you) be. if it let it it. so onions grow from his navel -- so what? let it be. o.k.? that’s that’s be. o.k.? let it -- so what? navel his from grow so onions widow] patient as a shapely phrase. let it burn & may god help god help & may burn let it phrase. a shapely as patient widow] amid non-sense [lit. in many tongues at once] -- excuse me? -- excuse -- me? once] at tongues in many [lit. non-sense amid quiet. you shd live so [lit. in such silence]. you shd swell up like like up swell shd silence]. you in such so [lit. live shd you quiet. \\\ 46 \\\ | seer, huh? forbid! god you shd goad &needle it — [lit. ajew’s luck] haggart bust. butter-me-up, huh? racketeerer- [lit. little (mis)fortunes] or tragedies bore aborn-loser’s luck deprecation to ward offevil)]—against pesty (im)possibilities for &un-called un-qualified [lit. god forbid! (an old-world Y INGLOSA/D&E | /// 47 /// [lit. bodily[lit. soars] ] or “house of worship”. the worship”. of “house ] or Y I N G L O S S I A / / I M P U R E B O N E O S S I A / / I M P Y I N G L on; & it's costly dear, too much, for such & such & such such for too much, dear, costly & it's on; [lit. wheat-paste posters] coating the study hall’s hall’s the study coating posters] wheat-paste [lit. to fornicate w/ one-self than to birth such a body.” a body.” birth such to than w/ one-self fornicate to absent-minded, wild ecstatic repetition: not the one you you the one not repetition: wild ecstatic absent-minded, paul & overdressed in wretched rags wanderings. from a from wanderings. rags in wretched & overdressed paul sabbatean writings) in the posterior rectum [lit. buttocks- [lit. rectum in the posterior writings) sabbatean nothing] in disgrace & humiliation hang the words on tho on the words hang in disgrace & humiliation nothing] LAW IS AN IMPURE BONE. IS AN IMPURE ( t h e ) evil r e a d i t & s e e LAW an-other ratty snot rag [yiddishism, sarcastically], decrepit decrepit sarcastically], [yiddishism, rag snot ratty an-other day-to-day contrary to the dietary laws -- forbidden foods, the dietary to contrary -- forbidden laws day-to-day pashkeviln distant foreign words melted into a mouth, then confusion, then confusion, a mouth, into melted words foreign distant said a bum ne’er-do-well faker I was -- mistaken for a petty- for -- mistaken I was faker ne’er-do-well a bum said were expecting, but like sweet carrot pie [slang, lit. fuss over over fuss lit. [slang, pie carrot sweet like expecting, but were unwanted, for better or worse. “do me a favor & don’t do me do me & don’t a favor me “do worse. or better for unwanted, an ornamental swan, but at the fringes of language hanging- language the of fringes at but swan, ornamental an inclinations [lit. those who crave pig’s feed] are no-thing but but no-thing feed] are pig’s those who [lit. crave inclinations ass, a backward variant on tokhes on variant a backward ass, worn out no-body. said some-body to no-body, “it’d be better “it’d no-body, some-body to said no-body. out worn impure or unprepared [lit. improvisatory] (applied also the to (applied improvisatory] [lit. unprepared or impure walls: THE JEW WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY THE JEWISH BY THE JEWISH ABIDE DOES NOT WHO walls: THE JEW any favors!” the confusion agitation roister bositerer is not just just not is bositerer roister agitation the confusion favors!” any good for nothing -- worth nothing -- starved -- dead hungry] nothing [lit. worth -- nothing good for \\\ 48 \\\ | god! spirits the are nothing to dow/--but bodies the we shallalter; teach the spirits alesson! let them leave to us our sturdy bones &“sickly tongue,” a“scampi tale” nose. beats the strong [lit. beast] wild buffoon? integrity built a for w/ .but naming of were to dead dojustice the & fairness, possessed holy day [pronounced yontev festive holiday-ish sharp (referring to tools) the .any cdbe. mourner’s prayer [sung, lit. “may remember god him”]. for but head jewish .inademon tongue? .managing arusty his other lung’s blabbermouth is black of pedigree gaggy a other’sthe (brand of cigarette smokes moocher --the idiosyncrasy [lit. someone else’s] -- adis-connected [lit. disjointed] threatens who by indistinguishable lineage spoke acoarse loud-mouth gossip: description of aman w/ Y INGLOSA/HD , lit. day] agood or verse or re- . | /// 49 /// “odd” “odd” ​”-A.R.] became became grammar, grammar, 17th-century ​17th-century between multiple code- multiple between of that other(ed) marginal antinomian antinomian marginal other(ed) that of of this poetry. I began to imagine the “odd” “odd” the imagine to I began poetry. this of ​ in properties sonic/semantic Yiddish-, Hebrew-, Aramaic- & Akkadian- Aramaic- Hebrew-, Yiddish-, ​ practices [Note: I arrived at the present work thru a practice of of practice a thru work present the at I arrived [Note: ​ across/ deformance translingual-poetic switching dialects. My compositional method traverses by (mis) by traverses method compositional My dialects. switching ​ in/to translation ​ adapted English The dybbuk (Yiddish: spirit-possessor), which my Jewish- my which spirit-possessor), (Yiddish: dybbuk The wild the of body the inhabit to believed ancestors Ashkenazi ​ other], [lit. “akher” or heretic person, mad stutterer, syntax & lexicon, taking English as its temporary “host” while while “host” temporary its as English taking & lexicon, syntax slippages—interlingual inflectional perpetual performing absorb. can host as the much & fusion-slangs—as punning ​ focus peripheral the which in ways the consider & to “possessed”— —the ancestor own​ my in manifest might language by “possession” this I use & jew. translator as poet, me so mark which practices, against terms the of echo deliberate in here “odd” word the in transcribed was stigma Sabbatean which messiah. a false of practices odd the “for Palestine: ​ transgressional

ב

FROMSHIBBOLETH ...whose every page is an abyss where the wing shines with the name. —Edmond Jabès | /// 55 /// to a tourist zone a tourist to sign at the border the border sign at august 13, 2017 -- august closed military zone ­­­ hagar sarah, rivka, for following the rd north the rd following birds on a barbed wire a barbed wire on birds [ t h i r d s p a c e ] [ t h i r d liminal. religious minion religious liminal. of a space which is finally finally which a space is of rock pigeon making its nest its making pigeon rock head to the cave of no entry no of the cave head to a man shivering in the mud. shivering a man heat burns off into the bunker the into off burns heat barbs atop the military barrack atop barbs in the grand rock cleft above us. above cleft rock in the grand pine needles in electric jack pine light. at the face to the head of the crag. the head of the face to at drafting landscape via brainscape: via landscape drafting strange to see so many tourists on the crack the crack on tourists see to so many strange tangling tourists. & what about the poisonous fish? ribs fish? the poisonous about & what tourists. tangling angry crows nest in the cleft. days end quick despite the despite quick end days in the cleft. nest angry crows at sunrise, mine eye is drawn to a banana orchard behind: orchard a banana to drawn eye is mine sunrise, at telescopes to spot the arabs coming in from across the sea.” the sea.” across in from coming the arabs spot to telescopes wraps in noon rock sandstone salt crossed where whitestone whitestone where crossed salt sandstone rock in noon wraps where groups of arabs come at evening after the hundreds of hundreds the after evening at come arabs of groups where orthodox jews have departed for the night. an armenian priest priest armenian an the night. departed for jewsorthodox have speaking yiddish: “look up” says a father to his child “they have have “they child his to a father says speaking “look up” yiddish: \\\ 56 \\\ | military buoymilitary language, resting btwn tongue &tooth momentarily, sways a a ship w/ashooter at helm. the how asingle prayer springs to it is border the of poland-palestine. 10 men praying at border the inlow ashkenazi drawl. | /// 57 /// \\\ 58 \\\ | | /// 59 /// probably gone by now. by gone probably who can still speak? say her name — sarah. stillwho can name speak? her say no crossing at this time this at crossing ahead. no exit no cracks. leather phoenician room entombed in nostalgia crabapple perch perch in nostalgia crabapple entombed room phoenician against no signs—no passage. birds wings mark off white white off mark wings birds passage. signs—no no against as stones foaming tide comb in too much trash to feed the to trash in too much tide comb foaming stones as seas - what do you see? pock stones below the waves break break the waves below see? pock do you seas stones - what rubbing stone on stone. this is just on the other side of this. side of the other on this just is stone. on stone rubbing february 12, 2018 -- craw bird on border. not the same now now the same not border. on bird february 12, 2018 -- craw builds cactus life behind an abandoned castle. who lived here here who lived castle. abandoned behind an life cactus builds stone on stone skeletons destroyed inhabitants. dome of bone bone of dome inhabitants. destroyed skeletons stone on stone grey over nakura. waves bake bleached black beaks on border beaks border black bake bleached on waves nakura. grey over landscape. charcoal scratching fires lead water scrub on shore shore on scrub lead water fires scratching charcoal landscape. do not drink from them. toxic pockmarks & stone pines palm pines & stone pockmarks them. toxic drink from do not crows perch w/ our backs to the sea. sparks memory’s sensory the sea. memory’s to backs sparks w/ our perch crows venetian seasons silent rains wash down interment canals. but but canals. interment down wash rains silent seasons venetian launch into electric flight. sight of the site of a mass expulsion. expulsion. mass of a of site the electric sight flight. into launch never the same after all. as overcast skies clouds post pulsating pulsating post clouds skies overcast as all. after the same never \\\ 60 \\\ | rosh — shtula ha-nikra —adamit arrives at astark dark shuddering. first the to insist: capture awhite flight to 250km to jerusalem. 120km beirut, frames sounds of patrols jeep underneath deep us. tractor death consumed sounds inindiglo of ground-shaking resin. not murdered were raped. of necrophiliac border subsumed & dark over sunrise shtula. sabra &shatila say they for first the now sea. the what birds cut to see? on wing. summer red dusk garden maze.” facing immense marrano oceans w/our backs to days open four ways, sideways &timeways across palm the rd to leads alebanese bunker. iremember ted said: “split your branches inus, splayed. just came infrom. &white green earth wherevines— so are you today? braids time its dancing do see filling. a youmosque?swimmingsee only i pool split border. what cut defines it? morning soundbreeze in of a what cut by fences inleaves sway praying the persons at the august 16,2017--lebanese border fog on continuous forest. | /// 61 /// \\\ 62 \\\ | | /// 63 /// the same breath breath same the -- red soil construction soil construction -- red myzell how we love you love we how myzell : here again the few have been the have few again : here , moving slowly over green pastures. hezbollah talk pastures. green over slowly , moving plant shoot out from the inside. we wander the streets the streets wander we the inside. from out shoot plant killed here by hezbollah katyushas. what to do with bare bare do with to what hezbollahkilled katyushas. by here planting flags in the land. the land is not invented tho the invented not is land the in flags land. the planting & view. craggy border cliff. where mother prepares dinner dinner prepares mother craggywhere cliff. border & view. claim to owning it is. this is what grandfather teaches who teaches grandfather what this is is. it owning to claim facts as bare sites of violence where fight & flight bothend & flight fight where violence of sites facts bare as khurbn across. the land cut to losses cut to bureau b-role of soldiers soldiers of b-role bureau to losses cut to cut the land across. arrived on camels in tents. o brothers our sister our mothers mothers our sister our o brothers in tents. camels on arrived february 14, 2018 -- arab al aramsha dust in mud from the shtetlekh from in mud dust in unrecognizable remains? grandfather speaks his a child as grandfather remains? in unrecognizable not to confess. the crimes go silent. mark the land in chalk in the land mark silent. the crimes go confess. to not searching for the family myzell. an old man souleiman points points souleiman man old an myzell. the family for searching while aya speaks. in 2006 a woman & her two daughters were were daughters two & her speaks.while a woman in 2006 aya on walkies— they can talk says grandfather but will get never but walkies—on they talk grandfather can says forced into captive. in the same breath nakba breath in the same captive. into forced parents came on camels from Iraq. forced to confession forced forced confession to forced Iraq. from camels on came parents us down the street: they all live at the corner of that block. tent tent block. that of the corner they at the street: all down live us \\\ 64 \\\ | fence? echoing border lights grow distant dusk over lebanon. what’s across the horn: what doyou sound for inburning? patrols soldier on the is smoke. the see flags slappingthewind. the blast of aram's back at home they’ve burning day. things been all Ican all dark lights white disguise. how are apples the ditches? inthe man’s” land. spin reckless border towns insilhouettes dark for structure on border the chain. hazy suns on afrontier to “no- barely bunker thru. life see underground becomes skeleton the pages inlandscape of cameras. ashooting at border. the haze i up. clouds afaceinthe to see ashen &mad. blue sky white from draftinglandscapes in dustwhat it must like look to look vehicles control white vans drive to yellow &fro between flags. below. hill the cameras watching at acrossing. unpeacekeeping stone margins of at rosemary beaufort it castle. ican from see can hear. transmission migrations solutions exclusion &fence panorama. ambulance sirens you can hear across borders you border.the narrow shoulders from muscovy a see finally to tipt blue the rd with no shoulder. arm that’s with no skin.so questions of after eggs heat urn turnsridges silos steel silver us. cement mixer mechanisms coop. the beside idle 11/Aovert question of ethics afternoon the eggs. heat w/ no sweat to cool hens. blue bags not here nor twd me. such aplace makes me it sounds saws &cars over pass w/men talking clucking august 17,2017--12/Gspring at time bad smells lool the so | /// 65 /// \\\ 66 \\\ | | /// 67 /// ). the border is is ). the border morning stories grown into narrative grass & fruit grass small narrative into grown stories morning no-one remains. have gone down to the valley of screams. the valley to screams. down of gone have remains. no-one february 15, 2018 -- K/8 cawing & crawing on all we sides on & crawing februarycawing 15, 2018 -- K/8 awake to the birds in the trees beneath us. this is the place the thisplace us. is beneath in the trees the birds to awake rasping & gasping she rattles: no escape but thru the fence escape but no rattles: she & gasping rasping guards. sharpen yr eyes after to see where the border leads: to seethe border sharpen yrwhere after eyes guards. behind the mountain. this is the place soft in ink. garden of in ink. soft garden the this place is behind the mountain. names of disappeared & now invisible (nister invisible & now disappeared of names nowhere. houses carved in caves on dead phoenician names names dead phoenician on carved houses in caves nowhere. okra & plywood. garden of graves & silverfish. garden of of the garden & silverfish. graves of & plywood. garden okra a tractor in the mud. the border is a grammar built on power. power. on built a grammar is the border in themud. a tractor animals feed on the remains. pastures still full of remains, tho still full remains, of pastures the remains. feed on animals the food we enjoyed grows rotten in the mouths of the border the border of in the mouths rotten grows the food enjoyed we paid in blood & snails. thin is the way the word fails. from the from fails. the word in blood thin thepaid way is & snails. panhandling border of invisibility, not in purgatory but reality. reality. but in purgatory not invisibility, of border panhandling \\\ 68 \\\ | & astowaway btwn tiny the steel concrete frame door asmall portal sound of wind over at walkies crossings into tossed fence. the birdsciphers. talkies fly wire. inwalkie into the electrified sharp as cameras spit &wage wars over borders’ indecipherable & w/violence retaliates. as families split on mountain’s edge, state. pm the issues astatement incondemnation of violence toclose acrag. where sits aporter drawing on edge the of the broadcasting: what of border sort this is ? rds whining east at the charge dragonflybeatwings red-white borderrd outcomes relaxes as body farther the itself into positivities electric losses. bordering plantations. facing the sun-bleached land scooches fences perch protecting trees eat red grapes from vines on someone wants something but to drink not from the stream. red reeds eyesinthe riverbanks the feed hemorrhaging: &borderland flies rubbingdry-up leg vibrating w/ on leg. by bird blinds can’t they you see. august 18,2017--where water stunned thru, runs on sides all , she says, as soil, cow the piles | /// 69 /// \\\ 70 \\\ | | /// 71 /// \\\ 72 \\\ | we must protect ourselves to protect ourselves: must we want on to walk mountain the with saying our whole bodies, believers there extraordinary silence: to reach some top hands &nails steep smoothness cliff bottom what said they air across diagonal crevices what maybe saythey reaches sky the otherthe sideof sea the approaching black the sea for Rachel Blau DuPlessis [ aprochingteblks] we stopped dark inthe walking

byseized joy &tongues teeth of mountain air we on so began to walk aslant through the & as soon as& as we soon stopped an forced to clamber where having felt ground the hidden inlight & there were many failed for sheer violent strength that &seeing of because until we reached the at what we shouted height whose avalley & we didnot with instead a &on | /// 73 ///

a bloody a

as in as not assembled we it from as thoughts the first saw we for Ahmad Almallah forAhmad what the ancestors called the ancestors what a sign by which we shd shd whichwe signa by hand at in coats

gate the first to come cd which you & by the entry-floorto as a sign across last & at we immediately grasped for immediately we

in shatnez & drink water no [ p o l a n d - p a l e s t i n e l e t t e r ] d - p a l e s t i n [ p o l a n threshold the at exchanged were words our whenever up matter the whole & when you & when you thoughts us like dressed-up & students teachers who as also sat

so that these words shall not be written to no-one : no-one to be written shall not theseso words that al of the city kuds ahead into go jebus fast, meditation in weeks 9 wait remember i gate the first approached & when we then in dusty corners of entry of corners then in dusty hung larynx on go not feet our swept we sothat leave not wd we the guards poets & teachers & craftspeople students of groups & wherever the first meaning its & from up popping keys numerable joined words each after \\\ 74 \\\ | on backs their what asked they we have come immediatelythey asked after for but have not strength the to say the ancestorsthe took who that burden who packed who themselves tightly in you exile tho dispersed tho exile at point which | /// 75 /// for Gabriel Levin [ c o n ( d e ) s t r u c t i o n ] d e ) s t r u c t i o [ c o n ( no, never to know, to go after what cannot be— cannot what after go to know, to never no, in whatever shape or form it takes what breaks drills the breaks takes what it form or shape in whatever my earplugs in & still the drilling persists. neurotic mists mists in & still the drilling earplugs neurotic persists. my we cut stone. in the beginning we roamed & combed ticks ticks & combed roamed in the beginning we stone. cut we do not find, in mine & not in mind. the yellow berriesyellow that the in mind. not & in mine find, do not who knew you well. whomever sounds the sound resounds resounds the sound sounds whomever well. who knew you if I am the site give me sight. to hold & behold, the cold not not the cold & behold, hold to sight. me give the site if I am over a different place. the place is not the place but the face, face, the but place the not placeis place. the a different over of sound, a silence rains, maimed & claimed as one of those of one as & claimed maimed a silence rains, sound, of body wakes into “a land not promised you.” on archipelagos archipelagos on you.” promised not land “a body into wakes of the shark in the body of a bird. i’m in bed by 10 a.m. with 10 a.m. with in bed by i’m in the a bird. body of the shark of in the shape of a rose. in the valley of resurrection. morning morning in the valley resurrection. a rose. of of in the shape persistence. subsistence consists of existing conditions. a fist a fist conditions. existing of consists subsistence persistence. from our sheep. sites & excursions excavate our lines. find & find lines. our excavate & excursions sites sheep. our from she says. moment-to-moment, mouth-to-mouth, in the cave in the cave mouth-to-mouth, moment-to-moment, says. she & sorts the mounds & bodies left for dead. when the sun dead. & bodies when sets the for & sorts left the mounds yrself in ash above the temple. sort what cannot be sorted the cannot sort what the temple. above yrself in ash conjure valleys of erotic shit - valleys of the wretched myth of of myth - valleys the wretched shit of valleys erotic of conjure of the week & saying we are those who have gone crazy. mark mark crazy. gone those who have are we & saying the week of carried me thru sleep. corrupting my distracting by the wheat the wheat distracting by my corrupting carried thru me sleep. re-covers strangled birds on all sides by blinding light we can’t can’t we light blinding all sides by on birds strangled re-covers feasting on the least & starving on the bones. in the the & starving beginning least the bones. on on feasting the cold, our hunger not our hunger. w poems btwn our teeth, w poems our btwn hunger. our not hunger our the cold, see. it is the light before dark. it is the darkness probed in light. in light. probed the darkness is it dark. before the light is see. it mortuaries mountains below above the summer snow. to know, know, to snow. the summer above below mountains mortuaries \\\ 76 \\\ | what’s it say? what’s it called? from where it does derive? from whence wastaken? this as before. in wood’s ­ roomthe on remained second the story lit sun inthe as before thrown &was& spilled &fled from the stairsthe &w/ stairs. whole& the sand-loam-concrete floor & shifted &rose moved one day adoor second-story the sliced translated from the Hebrew of Avot Yeshurun w/althesir] [ slicedfromtha& supports naked | /// 77 /// Ha-tsoakim Emek [Note: These works, save the final translation, take place on the on place take translation, final the save works, These [Note: forensic deep two during Israel/Palestine/Lebanon of border Weinstock, Riv by led in, I participated traverses architectural friend & collaborator, artist-architect-activist Lebanese & our side other the on reasons, safety for share can't we name whose & video photographed, sketched, Riv While fence. military the of war naturalized the along intersections various at audio-recorded imposed the to response in poems these I wrote & border, zone across radiates I find that silence eerie an sites, these of silence finally we when traverse, second our On rift. Syrian-African the to drove we Syria, with border the reached [The Shouting Valley], where an acoustic leak in the topography topography the in leak acoustic an where Valley], Shouting [The between shout to divide the across split Druze families allows long has site The lives. their of news share to order in countries attempt poems These intimidation. military to due silent been a of trace some transmit & to leak, acoustic that to tune-in to frequency a divide, arbitrary the across echo discontinuous fence. the of & weight force sheer the by otherwise erased the along Weinstock Riv by taken were section this in Photographs traverses.-A.R.] two

LICK&SPIT: TRANSINCANTATIONS

| /// 81 /// e m F R O M T H E B O W E L S T H E B O W E L F R O M o L I C K & S P I T / / I N C A N T A T I O N S P I T / / I N C L I C K & c back which does not whichdoes not into collecting into infect foodsto impure mouth thehuman omen by everythingoutside whotricked the gods \\\ 82 \\\ | spell the in come gods of night back into mouth narden-grass its seeds shine chants chants un-donespells after rotted-bodyearth against” fire” have forged afigure of our enchanter grantwho decision gods false rejoiceswho inmourning? throat passed water have kept food yr gaps continuously fast you knew who to well those estranged from you on you icall L ICK&SPT/GODFNH our mouths earth the fills brought our tongues by salt he night-watches three as rat-tongue up tied of smell & magic as tamarisk the as chargesfalse conjured given heed confronted by light datethe palm but we live-out shall our

now far from lips by day at night by talc inpine tree chants crown tall for &face grudge praise-lament our fill our mouths gods of night we synthetic became

the maštakal makes maštakal the

“the he did devil words falling who standwho by we “have lain in you were unable to curses’

lessened lessened dissolve over who who

| /// 83 /// & face & wrap roasted roasted & when let him lift (the (the

S N A K E C H A N T S N A K E on its surface its on & rise & consume 4 grains 4 grains & rise & consume or wind it thru (-colored) alkaline-plant alkaline-plant (-colored) or dress dress or palms ashen decocted & put a casket over his head his over a casket & put smoothed-out then (the snake) opposite himself himself opposite (the snake) (the casket) goes into man) the water into casket) worm of throat his on it coral if a snake wraps around (a man) let him go down down him go let (a man) around wraps if a snake the seato \\\ 84 \\\ | any have thing they not yet of heart” cooker turn hate plottings evil incise them i don’t know -ors i false masteri false of words the we speak loosened be free! be --them free molesthe be shall & qab-bu-ú witch: šu’u-i-pa-áš-šar immeru i-pa-áš-šar words the gods let speak of strike image wind that carries L ICK&SPT/NWARDMU not to be loosed a-mat (not loosed to a-qab-bu-ú be a-mat-su-nu ana pân to glowing faces my lords slanderers detract cursers tricks fake magic tricks lord nemeses sound our word ”pa-áš-šar be “ will what lies letstand & fact-twisting murderers’& fact-twisting their words their cannot impede inward murmur warlock & who doyou& who know them? on order the of asalluhi as folly is make spells for strikes our images their wordstheir may drawn to a pressure evil mouths take fence “change false false them the the let

| /// 85 /// S N A K E C H A N T S N A K E if a snake is tempted (by a man) a man) (by tempted is snake if a him with is ‘charmer’ his ‘charmer’) make him walk if 4 miles & if not let & 4 stones head on his place night at 4 bridges him cross a sleeping of legs asleep under (sky) moonless or rotted the 4 to them tie to else bring cats 4 (feral) corpse let (the & make debris (of the body) so they scream that the (snake’s) hear cats when the shall devour him \\\ 86 \\\ | & only address they when you by force submit address will youthey as object you call will belit-seri countries have they sent we river-crossing incantation to-end-all-countries: to godsmaštakal the of sky we bring water- to its east has two gates incantation at zab-ban: undoer else’s& nobody we donotbe yet what you have we know been master of curses yr incant: command are worlds all magicthe we did L ICK&SPT/NOUDE

thru incantationthru sage-god inthe marduk held magic back the spells but but donot answer mouthin the of our warlock &witch i am liftingtwd you yes earth o earth the steppe fill our knots undone machinations can undo what scroll yr inscribes gods the of night have barred harbor the my city zabban let it dissolve like salt whom we shall to send we have barred the only listen but donot the bloom the at what you will to end-all- my city it has no is loose is loose on our they they is the

| /// 87 /// & who are ordered ordered are notice what is on this on is what notice hear & belet-seri may antu anu the of the wishes against in yr country notice who speaksin yr country notice what happened is still is happening happened what that in order yr surroundings beware go we we-are-sent: incantation but do not submit to force to submit do not but speakwe asalluhi: warlock-witch earth spoken is \\\ 88 \\\ | the snake) the &say, & throw (at them should burnt take they hair &toenails strengthenwill snake’s) (the inclination more) the all rather a human-reptile there (so are that those say what remedy &the must is they fornicate together &ifnot, wrist the tie throat the go venom if the is moving (them) thru if a snake bites (a man) not & will let S NAKECHT

| /// 89 ///

be lose is the is spared burn burn my indebted indebted

as eternal as restored having sought sought having son of butcher butcher of son w the help of an an of w the help annannitumtum

i throw & i throw falsewrit to šamaš who we are grabbing the crown crown the grabbing are we fur ass-brat yr rabbit yr feet at who looks

purussâ-a-a purusus purusus purussâ-a-a restoration makes lion of god of lion warlock-witch my away spell: natured things di-ni di-ni de- this country L I C K & S P I T / / F R O M D I S T R E S S S P I T / / F R O M L I C K & so said yr coat at so all licks we who stand face you restore muscle sinew lick sins sins sinew lick muscle restore face you who stand we twist RIGHT RIGHT twist di-e-ni di-e-ni “restore the RIGHT” but master yr to ass-brat decision from distress i, you servant you i, distress from whose god whose is goddess you to turned i have as-hur-ka (out you raised are hands my šá warlock-witch, too fast their lives in cantation in talcumicon darkness licks new-light my life life my yr name of meaning \\\ 90 \\\ | yr every false promise false not does which waver every yr fingerstheir those like of clumsy masons” endstheir insewers” catchthey themselves cancer” consume ones the wish who you evil eat enemies will yr šamaš judge destroy warlock-witch the burn who ground unmarked our khurbn life under weed sour milk smeared w waterwashed wdirty & let eat the cursed food let drink the cursed water have in spasm filling legs fromdrained blood tied neckyr they those L ICK&SPT/HURBNFE

what you is also bound they pits in executed bodies the of disposed who who who have mocked living the dead where we live havewho on we called in rope with cut muscle to sinew back yr who kill the wild offspring & you, fucking crushed upon crushed “may find they emptied & brokethey “may “may girra yr

| /// 91 /// The phrase, “Lick & Spit”, I take from the Ashkenazi-Jewish Ashkenazi-Jewish the from take I Spit”, & “Lick phrase, The three forehead person’s a licking of ritual expectoration folkloric I associate gesture physical lick—a each between spitting times, a snake from venom sucking of act the with closely most -A.R.] body. the from eye” “evil the exorcise to order bite—in [Note: The poems in this suite (cor)respond to a group of ancient ancient of a to group (cor)respond suite this in poems The [Note: discovered I first which of several incantations, exorcism Akkadian Babylonian the in adaptations Jewish-Aramaic of form the in discourse Talmudic the of hybridity radical the I read Talmud. own contemporary my to, & invitation for, precedent as both here of as a mode writing engages which one praxis, translinguistic wide spirals in languages displacement—translating perpetual divide—while sonic/semantic the of edges farthest the to outward, residues minute most the even from a poetics for materials gleaning transpose & compose to terms, these in begun, I’ve behind. left & Hebrew as Aramaic as well transliterations, homophonic from from poems together stitching spells, Akkadian the of translations texts. adapted the of gaps the between dregs translingual the

ג

DAYBOOKS

| /// 97 /// ?) the erased for jake [ l e v d a a s ] [ l e v d a dein swan remembering its former glory. from an alfred an from glory. former its remembering dein swan employees at the warsaw samsung factory. makes “all the “all makes factory. samsung the warsaw at employees hair uses horse stiletto ashen porches, uses polish cinema cinema uses polish porches, ashen stiletto uses horse hair to hear, supposedly (but what does it mean, lev mean, does daas it what (but supposedly hear, to “to the province of the self”. & the belt of american media american of & the belt the self”. of the province “to corporations is the accordion of an ugly polka. companies polka. ugly companies an of the accordion is corporations und adjusting it. the just dude in such circumstances must must circumstances in such dude the just it. adjusting und birthday people!) we have attained the eyes to see, the ears see, the to eyes the ears attained have we people!) birthday moses coincides w the people only forty years after (happy (happy after years forty only w the people moses coincides taxes or ids. it’s symptomatic of mountain water peaks. the water mountain of symptomatic it’s ids. or taxes chicken farmers buying-out the fan companies. for human human for companies. the fan buying-out farmers chicken in the tub down the danube. to which position is gegangen gegangen is which position to the danube. down in the tub plants. machinations stands entities against anarchic waste. waste. anarchic against entities stands machinations plants. aisenstaedt century, she reads, this time a-round, no tubing tubing no this time a-round, reads, she century, aisenstaedt colors for all the kids.” buys books. lifts bellies over rivers of books.rivers over lifts buys bellies all the kids.” for colors spectre in coded prepositions as polysemic as a credit card’s card’s a credit polysemic as as spectre coded in prepositions error schreiben nor anschreiben error the many names now now names the many error anschreiben nor schreiben error forgetting their function forget their names. ist di diagnostik ist their names. their function forget forgetting vocabulary cards. justice fribourg dein schwein sonnen snout snout sonnen fribourg schwein dein justice vocabulary cards. stands identities against hearty software & “I solemnly swear” swear” “I solemnly & hearty software against identities stands approach the sprach error or will error sprach such yikhes such will sprach will or error error the sprach approach \\\ 98 \\\ | axel meter in-dex tillich tolearned write muse how the acousticslogical is abstract ideo champions’ exits right into XLscriptureclass cadillac whole the officeclapping ‘we the are index telic hesiod’s descriptors ascend official alphabetic clear is how muse the to learned write acousticsabstract ideological alphabeticabstracted exiles exits right index telling XMradionight jokes adds stress to making campsites abstract clearthe alphabetic glass eclairs clapping campion alphabeticthe clear XLscripture class cadillac scripturethe office the descriptionascend [ faliyh] charles for | /// 99 /// hot flippies hot for kirk & zvi kirk for 5 bytes in 2 lines 5 bytes 4 more caressing 4 more scoot off tectonic scoot off basket money loaned inmate muster-board inmate less idly frightening live frightening idly less or morbid bidding rides bidding morbid or sway moronic temp X 10 temp moronic sway a start me up forklift meter forklift up a start me 4 times less the in rows term: 4 times less whose lines elastic corn piping whose corn elastic lines [ s h v a r i m ( s h a t t e r i n g s ) ] r i m ( s h a t t e [ s h v a do you do you do you do you do you you you you you you do you do you do you do you do you \\\ 100 \\\ | loose morphosloose matter spelunkersorted cork’s mouthpeice bunker statues for change at the lick salt 6licks textures & fixtures mixed tea slicethe of words hoops looses slow jam sandpaper specs breaks iron mode glow glass more than anything cats water need cause in motion be repertoire force motion inear | /// 101 /// for alli [ a f i g ] superior item superior orders a bowl of soup of a bowl orders under the second connotation -- connotation the second under planned, nor expected, tho nearly nor planned, accidentally on purpose on describesaccidentally the willful so actions not a form of entertainment nor performance so dull or so or dull performance nor entertainment of a form not we hire the best grade portion share order of something something of order the best grade share portion hire we proved an outstanding gambler the first item in order of order in item the first gambler outstanding an proved is something neither completely failed nor succeeding as as succeeding failed nor completely neither something is sexual joculars came of age in $5 bills. of any person who person any of in $5 bills. sexual age joculars of came the sack zipped up up in order of a cup of coffee & bills & & coffee of a cup of in order up up the zipped sack often ‘too’ expected often too ‘given’ for me to me to stand to stand me to me for ‘given’ expectedtoo often ‘too’ often sly at first used in vogue at frequent intervals since popular intervals since popular at frequent used vogue in first at sly any plan or act that is so unusual as to be a fucking travesty be travesty to a fucking as so is unusual act that or plan any since the first three squads or exceptionally fast hot-rod cars cars hot-rod fast or exceptionally squads three the first since poor design or quality when compared to the quote unquote unquote the quote to when compared quality poor design or w powerful or soupy motors cd be any atomic fucking bomb. bomb. fucking atomic cd be any motors soupy w powerful or get the joke” or often didn’t get my always used before certain used before my always get didn’t often or the joke” get carried-out to appear accidental or adventurously maliciously maliciously adventurously or accidental appear to carried-out sometimes as a saying equals my yr his her their thus “I didn’t didn’t “I their thus her yr his my equals a saying as sometimes at abe’s cave gives $5 jukes uses rock & roll splicing techniques techniques splicing & roll uses rock $5 jukes gives cave abe’s at inferior that it’s called a travesty, cheap or inferior as an item of of item an as inferior or cheap called a travesty, it’s that inferior \\\ 102 \\\ | degrees & wrong answers at once can such embody contradictory numbers? containing extremes of &lows high only right both a tray or compartment of playing cards such &low high 5 enemy planes. alright ifit 3but was 3especially gives who fighterwork,specific the specific pilot shotdown by least at importance is acenot the ina whole, the person skilled the | /// 103 /// for erica beer factories. [ s u k k o s ] [ s u k k west, past fresno fresno past west, more sports eggs forks sports eggs forks more corkages jordily exhumed exhumed jordily corkages speaking from racist spokespersons spokespersons racist speaking from hate-addicts not dynamics attack the anonymous the anonymous attack dynamics not hate-addicts burnt smokey lemons. smells mint warped lemons. warped lemons. mint smells lemons. smokey burnt are citron myths my family? we are disoriented, finally disoriented, are we family? my myths citron are fortune skin-century dissection cuts from the first born the first from dissection skin-century cuts fortune while failing at quietly bbqing the latest mince. the fourth the fourth mince. the latest bbqing quietly at while failing shoshana citron margarita burns incense potpourri. smells smells potpourri. incense burns margarita citron shoshana exuberance exempted & corkages swelled to kvelling quits. quits. kvelling to swelled & corkages exempted exuberance plastic sizzles candle wrappers support wrapper plastics for for plastics wrapper support wrappers candle sizzles plastic shows dynamic litter formerly “speech acts” shows dynamic dynamic shows acts” “speech formerly litter dynamic shows more livers morgues live dialysis units manure corkages & de- corkages manure units dialysis live morgues livers more \\\ 104 \\\ | over &btwn stems the slants firm quadrangle radius. the from above, explosion inhinge from pterodactyl pupils. pupils triangle suits.their daylight makes night the fast as fat as before. an tonite birds the disturb bears are dogs.the the dying in always to arrive not at site. the might find. forced out words. in words.pulled side words lingual host compass. spanning spacefor places alanguage site or geo- by inpacks. part dogs run park, by part sky’s blue radical cross sky’s reflections buzzingcars lawn in mowers duskthe cast lengthwise shadows. leaves line crisp brown lawns notice trees down skeletal forms [ lawnsog] schimmel for | /// 105 /// for brandon slow humming calling back humming slow [ l o s t l a n g u a g e s ] [ l o s t l as foam soothing our reunion in a poem. reunion soothing our foam as morning practice: walk before breakfast. fast before before fast breakfast. walk practice: before morning you’ll remember this humming breath how it was yrs was it how breath this humming remember you’ll how it feels to sit even for a minute. the weight of faces of the weight a minute. for even sit to feels it how & after all the friends have gone. & after the fire is only ash only is fire the after & gone. all & after the have friends findings found lost languages behind us. it was our breaths breaths our it was us. behind languages lost found findings & amber. one afternoon when the sun is beating hot & high. hot is sun beating when the afternoon one & amber. reckoning: have you finished adjusting the fan belt band? it's it's band? belt fan the adjusting finished you have reckoning: how many more here to these deeps? kept memories cracked cracked memories these to deeps? kept here more many how contracting in laughter. how many more here on this surface? on here more many how in laughter. contracting cooler today & my mood follows suite. light as feather & fluffy feather as light suite. mood follows & my cooler today fashionable: moths into light. ritual listening—fit split residual residual split listening—fit ritual light. into moths fashionable: \\\ 106 \\\ | in slow figure-eightsserrate & break over recalcitranttarmac holding patterns that street chorus’ contusions elicit mystery illusory butsense as aghost limb reschedule thing with this impossible the inany monumental eat supper yr -fresh fish. trip the half breath(e) over of head the picture their -fetching bait the is hearwho fishes at night & youcatch the big one w/a plow holytheir nails. festive pruning half-the-time &clippling popes re(as)semblancesensualized -- pass me out makes facts smoldering s/mocks saturated of teeth any more? penance: don’t anybody care about anybody forklift hereframed-outwhose specials half in printlarceny & nimrod statue. holy yeah, yeah, blaspheming paraphrasing rotting the marksmemory &cardstock sighs: matter, matter transpires, not still fear expectoration machinates mince-fish salvatationpies crayoncraving dry coloring grass muted marble when lists course measured maximizing ursula’s handprint incement. of middle the abusy street mirror glands unwrapt memory round aharness fastened to [ shpatirn] ted for | /// 107 /// [Note: “Daybooks” comprises poems dedicated to other poets poets other to dedicated poems comprises “Daybooks” [Note: praxes. writing daily & notebooks my from culled & artists, dead, the to letters unsent are poems Yeshurun, Avot for If poems these I write desk, his of graves the in buries he which of life this friends, make who living my to songs as wild love gone, long all are we After & sweet. livable more the all poetry our of & records as residues I hope, will remain, poems these “my say: to likes friend Schimmel as my or relations; loving words.”-A.R.] their in are, they here look, far, never friends are

AVOIDANCES

| /// 111 ///

on “jacuzzi” “jacuzzi” fronds swayed swayed fronds for ANF & LPI ANF for tessellated palm tessellated light & wind light B I R D V A L L E Y B I R D V the first time I heard the word the heard I time the first parrots lined the telephon wires. wires. lined the telephon parrots in the German Colony Amazonian Amazonian in the German Colony \\\ 112 \\\ | Your doveheart inamousetrap. Now you must measure with other measures: is ahand inahand. closed TheThe clock stoppedgolden circle crying. after the Yiddish of Avrom Sutskever G OLDENCIR | /// 113 /// asking— until later, until for a woman. for It is summer; is It T H E S P Y T H E S for Stephen Ross argue over a posek: over argue but the grocerybut closes the sabbath won’t be in won’t the sabbath the laws of purification of the laws the same time, every time, the same week. At the grocery in Outremont At reads the sign on the sliding door. the sliding the sign on reads “It has been this way for generations,” for been has this way “It I listen to the men ahead of me in line me ahead the men of to I listen tati, vus tut der goy in undzer grocery store? grocery undzer in goy der vus tut tati, & the pale child pulling at his father’s fringes, fringes, father’s his & the at pale pulling child \\\ 114 \\\ | K NE-SHOT&WID hagiography guyhey rough imean laughing me” “i'm widow on 5th, the knee-shot the to lymph-nodscrewy service twothe lips of ajudge pay if it’s mine tulip to pine (says thein afield 2nd w/ tulip - sabbaththe judge sits on palms 5th the | /// 115 ///

*

in by a thing as close as far as as far schnitzel in or that that in or as can be: be: as can shall find we abided we thee can go can thee Go thee then Go thee even Viennese even Viennese total total mudness concealment of concealment for Zali & Yorik Kanyakumari . . . Kanyakumari mind-numbing slides mind-numbing W I S D O M C H A N G E M C H A N G E W I S D O un-concealment—

\\\ 116 \\\ | you can wind. coin the inserting The clock-safeticks it—you’ve gotta it’s not enough shit what?!So If shit’s the human * one. -than more or are less-than if you cannotyou know find you you go Only when only after it. prove to say | /// 117 /// after the Yiddish of Dvoyre Fogel of Dvoyre Yiddish the after F R O M M A N N E Q U I N S M A N N E Q U F R O M all life can become decorative; this happens this happens decorative; become all can life (to interpretation then to return must One filled gets thus the life-zone ornament, Like an three-dimensional concentrated, raw, The (de)composition the decorativistic with But Sorrowfulnesses are a decorative element of life of element a decorative are Sorrowfulnesses life which thefullness to of schema, heroic whenraw a monotony. of the ur-schema unmasks reduced, gets life. facts of the raw few of superstructure”) “the a leave doesn’t that events of ornament an events: with monotony. for room of drop spare one. a two-dimensional like becomes here life-clump decoration. Superficial awakens — there remainder event any without life of somewhere with reckoning of constellation a psychic come,” to “need that things things: ready-made existent, of the awaiting waiting; of state: possible the only and which “experiences” From possibilities. ready-made come. not or come can \\\ 118 \\\ | stand --(with golden crown bite, hard to swallow, are imagined the words. Against, they Already from rips the web, inthe contradictions. the The first “talent” and “graphomania” liehalf-dusty inlittle boxes). -- bathetic Bursteinisms (by my worthy stamps the friends anachronisms,all not respecting Shakespeare’s pathetic and particular: although successfully reflect life -- life,Jewish in fasten to them my own, imagined, rapt ones --maybe My luck: Iwant tothe find sublime, stately, sober words and for &(S)JR (J)ML H EBRAICNFLTO D EFORMINGLHTS: enthusiastic growth t and stone and gold and fine buildings” are morethe motif of though they are wholly and thoroughly philological? “Flesh sin against words that, graphologically, contradict themselves, formed nep inthe of characteristic order? And how much krepl than that doesn’t which rhyme insound but is only though not morepoetic, meaningful, rhymed when with a human knowledge. How, heaven forbid, is an apple more regimentation of language that would make order anew in And Iwant fashioned to be after nature and create the rowssorted over our head-hair ripe. like fruit-trees, words. They themselvesalphabetically rock in methodically orekh prayer-shawls,old silk wrapped inleather straps, ba , far zohar twith world-to-come dictionary , the purposes art has art nothing to dowith life, against and kosherly braided fringed shulkhan- I will Iwill ) in | /// 119 ///

ing that that ing , a reader , a reader “s o f ”. “Theburglary s. My friend s. My a lie? A bare through exchanged moon and sun than language in human , a versifier. A reader of mine (fictive, of of (fictive, of mine reader A , a versifier. ous gall, the critique is an expert, to an is gall, a cousin the critique ous Art, he says, is the “I won’t be late in life,” but but in life,” be late won’t the “I is Art, says, he of art? Huh? Listen to this curiosity: to Listen was once art? Huh? of “with thirty silver pieces”. The three-pointed The three-pointed thirty pieces”. . . “with silver Galilee. (the former, not not friend (the a gilded former, my through lie?Art, says “alef” locks in the story from void to written, he believes, it is lost. He does not know that after after that know doesnot He lost. is believes, he it written, a people, a land. . . but is there any value in repeat value any there is . . but a land. a people, The content and stars. A friend stars. and kind disposition, is a corrupted “that” which doesn’t know know which doesn’t “that” a corrupted is kind disposition, who pulled the wool over its eyes (the friend -- one who is who (the eyes is friend its -- one who over pulled the wool (according to human knowledge) they with begin knowledge) shoot to human to (according ones, they haze the native-words away from the places, the the places, from away they the native-words haze ones, into need, into shameful shameful need, into into exile, into which history translated people to their children? -- “I was sent to you by God”: does God”: by you to sent was -- “I their children? to people stately, the sublime ones, accompany, run my gauntlet, whip whip gauntlet, run my accompany, ones, the sublime stately, highly-esteemed ones, and set up, in a certain sense, in lines set up, and ones, highly-esteemed there once was in my land, the green land in the hilly corner in the hilly corner land the green land, in my was once there course) reads my stuff. I have the last word -- so he assumes: -- assumes: he so word last the have I stuff. my reads course) himself on envy on himself etc., stands from afar and takes great pleasure: his words, the words, his pleasure: takes great and afar from stands etc., continues with his his with friend continues another critique, The which is. that of the publication, black on white, of my own words, the imaginary words, own my of white, on black publication, idiosyncratic, neologistic, wakes up panting).But, Jewish life? life? Jewish panting).But, up wakes neologistic, idiosyncratic, that already happened”: is this the good news that cleaves the this cleaves the is good news that happened”: already that into begged bread? Nu, Nu, begged bread? into complaints, poisonous into shudders, this mean, in a sense, a truththis mean, cannons and artillery and their contentcannons from lash. The critique, he says choking choking he says critique, The lash. an guilty with their off skin truth the latter) art must defeat one’s own words the thoughtful ones. ones. the thoughtful words own one’s defeat art must the latter) \\\ 120 \\\ | -- provoke, to rouse, it so can, for of sake the tone, Newton’s bend trees church inmthe square. But none of No is this true. table, long long before “flesh and stone and gold and fine buildings”. dust; trees the that sway ike aperson praying --the peacefully way beforethat music the Burglary of “The Happened,” or “... established laws (with “established” ones my makes an friend the littlethe window inward-shining than two sun others, (fuller there exist words stately that lull my --words friend, sublime she trulyshe and fastened sublime, the stately words together with my own chasm other sideof pane the rolls who by inan imagined thing; the according to tradition the of sublime, stately word-mixtures: now; the flythatbuzzes the now; around through incessantly; my head deep, sharp, sublime, and stately words. sun, person, fly,trees, machinery, no churchsquare; but yes, was once [a]land Galilee --inthe herewhile Iwon’t play with it, only grab at life’s coat-tails,to out truth the imagined ones, taboo. And myfriend them Thus my luck improves: I found my way the dictionary to to dowith life: life means table the on Iam which writing of Jewish life inparticular. hereafter with favorable or unfavorable critique, and doubt it); aman from what Idoubt she sets? the see? does I will barely it! be Iwill atSo succeed reflecting lifethe -- s that Idesire: my those all spirit befriend will error consider inrelation them to -- Art has absolutely Art nothing ...with thirty silver pieces,”...with thirty !); Zeno will philosophize will !); Zeno , a reader etc, will link , areader link etc, will | /// 121 /// for (J)ML & (S)JR for sober words and and sober words not more meaningful, when meaningful, more not S L A V I C I N F L E C T I O N C I N F L E C T I S L A V I D E F O R M I N G L I G H T S : R M I N G L I G H D E F O they are wholly and thoroughly philological? philological? thoroughly and wholly are they rhymed with a krepl than that which doesn’t rhyme in sound in sound rhyme which doesn’t that than a krepl with rhymed And order? characteristic of in the nep formed only is but contradict graphologically, that, words sin against much how though themselves, My luck: I want to find the sublime, stately,sublime, find the to I want luck: My I will -- maybe ones rapt imagined, own, my them to fasten in particular:Jewish life, -- life reflect successfully although not all anachronisms, against life, do with to nothing art has Bursteinisms bathetic and pathetic Shakespeare’s respecting “graphomania” and “talent” friends the stamps worthy my (by in the the rips from -- Already boxes). in little lie half-dusty are to swallow, hard bite, first The the contradictions. web, golden -- (with they stand Against, words. the imagined silk fringed) in old prayer-shawls, braided kosherly and crown farzohartwith bashulkhan-orekht, straps, in leather wrapped rock They purposes, the dictionary words. world-to-come our over methodically sorted rows in alphabetically themselves after be to fashioned I want fruit-trees, And like ripe. head-hair would that language of the regimentation create and nature forbid, heaven How, knowledge. in human a new order make poetic, though more apple an is the more are buildings” fine and gold and stone and “Flesh and sun than language in human growth enthusiastic of motif (fictive, of mine reader A A friend, a versifier. stars. and moon -- assumes: he so word last the have I stuff. my reads course) of \\\ 122 \\\ | (with “established” ones my makes an friend error!); will Zeno itso can, for of sake the tone, Newton’s bend established laws play with it, only grab at life’s coat-tails,to provoke, to rouse, he says,Art, is “I the won’t late be inlife,” but here while Iwon’t latter)the must art defeat one’s own words thoughtful the ones. says lie?Art, through mytruth former, agilded (the friend not exchanged mean,this a truth inasense, through alie?Abare people to children? their --“I was sent to you by God”: does that already happened”: that news good is the cleaves this the to “sof”.void from story inthe locks “alef” burglary “The of Galilee. the there once was inmy land, green the land corner hilly inthe shudders, into poisonous complaints, into bread? begged nu? translated history which into exile, into need, into shameful a people, aland. .but is there any value in repeating that content The idiosyncratic, neologistic, wakes up panting wool the pulled overwho --one its friend is eyes (the who kind disposition, is acorrupted “that” doesn’t which know that is. which The critique, another continuesfriend with his himself on envyous critique the acousin gall, is an to expert, skin offtheir with an guilty lash. sublime the ones, accompany, my run gauntlet, whip stately, etc., stands from afar and great takes pleasure: his words, the cannons and artillery (according to human to shoot knowledge) begin with they highly-esteemed ones, and up, set inlines sense, inacertain ones, haze native-words the they away from places, the the publication, black on white, of my own words, imaginary the written, it he believes, is lost. He not does know that after of Huh? art? once was Listen to curiosity: this . . “with thirty silver .“with pieces”. thirty three-pointed The from contents. their My areader friend, The critique,says he choking ).But, Jewish life? , | /// 123 /// words. --So I be it! words. ...with thirty silver pieces,” long long long long thirty...with pieces,” silver y friend, a reader etc, will link them hereafter will etc, y friend, link a reader them hereafter philosophize out the truths that I desire: my spirit will befriend spirit my I desire: the truths that out philosophize statelyand sublime, sharp, all those deep, will barely succeed at reflecting life -- the chasm of Jewish life Jewish life of chasm -- the life reflecting succeed at will barely life life: with do to nothing Art absolutely has in particular. buzzes now; writing the flythat which I am on the table means window the little head through incessantly; my around the to according (fuller others, sun two than inward-shining stately sublime, truly of she sets?tradition word-mixtures: side of the other from a man it); does see? she I doubt what the trees the dust; thing; imagined in an by who rolls the pane peacefully inm the -- the trees praying a person ike sway that person, sun, table, true. this is No of none But square. church exist yes, there but square; church no machinery, trees, fly, before way sublime friend, -- words my lull that stately words once “...was or Happened,” “Theof Burglary the music that -- in the Galilee[a] land my Thus buildings”. fine and gold and stone and “flesh before the dictionary fastened to and way my I found improves: luck ones, imagined own my with together words stately the sublime, m And taboo. with favorable or unfavorable critique, and consider them in consider and critique, unfavorable or favorable with -- to relation \\\ 124 \\\ | emerging fields of translingual & expanded-Yiddish poetics.-A.R.] translations ascritical -also serve research materials within the close reading of his work. These poems then - these “deformed” we wd not receive otherwise from astandard (monolingual) across Likht’s writing & provide rich us tonal information that deformances reveal—in the form of erasure’s “relief”—ripple registers (in the second). The micro-inflectional textures these Hebraic registers (in the first variation) and all but the Slavic Hebraic and Slavic inflections; I then “whited-out” all but the I went through Likht’s “Every New Poet” and color-coded the with Stephen Ross. To create these multilingual deformances, Poet,” which Itranslated from the Yiddish in collaboration deformance procedures &based on Mikhl Likht’s “Every New influenced by Samuel’s Lisa & Jerome McGann’sisolational [Note: “Deforming Lights” a cross-inflectional is erasure | /// 125 /// tho over after after again. before before around At least At Not me. me. Not memory not from from not of the birds of (meanwhile after my accent: after for Jennifer Bartlett Jennifer for without without permission to state the obvious: state to nu, vus bistu, chabad? vus bistu, nu, the man at the counter asks asks the counter at the man Wasps & bees together banned Wasps N O T F R O M M E M O R Y R O M M E M O N O T F at the Borsalino Hat Store in Bnai Brak in Bnai Store the Borsalino Hat at

\\\ 126 \\\ | sound idiom of non-mind knuckle body Not from any bone where but | /// 127 ///

(1) a-thenticity on the nose on hangs liver or midnight after ass my on rash & big doings -- doings & big small favors for itch chronic My live! they should a lung as long As made less to bare to less made stomach easier to fortunes w/ minor THE REAL DEAL: d’ouvres. hor peanut S T U D I E S : 1 - 5 S T U D I another disease made another Y I N G L O S S I A Y I N G when the hostess serves when the hostess about. a hang give I don’t do wdn’t chews a few What navel our health upon bring it may people, all those happy-go-lucky To to escape the perpetual torments inflicted upon it, upon inflicted torments perpetual the escape to the dybbuk-tongue seeks refuge in a garbled mouth... a garbled in refuge seeks dybbuk-tongue the \\\ 128 \\\ | in over-dressed wandering. excuse -born Not one the &just give shoes! them streets the thru barefoot walking cobblers jitters. those &to all 's firstlanguage alphabet An alphabet for already. peace -ed Find some absented-mind Getting senile? Culturally impudent finickybagatelle. churns out wrong. in spite that of everything ourselves any of us. Too smart to doit said about(cd be to worst the of us Tho it shdn’t happen circumstances. (under can the be Healthful as abody a slice of gan eden. for ayear &aWednesday me right serve Maw to ear the might

| /// 129 ///

(2) praise a joke. “gossips our names our “fornicated how it goes? it how bobby-yarns “faith-healer “Teamsters!” Concealed in Really? That’s “drummed-up they screamed inventing lift-off lift-off inventing “for the fun of it!” it!” the fun of “for “for a baron taboo a baron “for fledged no easy feat. no fledged easy That’s what they said what That’s (the respectable chews, chews, (the respectable Majority rules. Minority’s rules. Minority’s Majority for rolls w/ holes. Burying w/ holes. rolls for “coachmen! dis-honorable “coachmen! “waggoneers, \\\ 130 \\\ | the teachingsthe of temples wise the teach like to live inthat well zalm as but there’s nuthin more delightfillt after Lucretius (3) aches made brave. chronic stomach brunches borsht botshvine fondStill of room Catskills. inthe pricethe of ahotel -nut holdovers, things, pea (small “over bobby-yarn!” “puff hot pride “While white-cheese pancakes “what are you, nuts? “over an egg: “standing on one leg “You there, inahurry spoke: show-pupthe rebbe “me around,” slashing out “So don’t screw | /// 131 /// .

(4) able to fight, worldly fight, to able after Ralph Waldo Emerson Waldo Ralph after our delightfillt sense of shpilkes sense delightfillt our you can look down on others & see others on look down can you to the top of the peak & power. cash of of the top to night & day with the help of hard work hard of the help with & day night to come that pass the time! those we don't see the time! those pass don't we come that to those in darkness, how great the dangers of life of the dangers great how those in darkness, are just the nature of the bark, but to those to who but the bark, of the nature just are how crooked are the minds of people’s blind chests! blind people’s of the minds are crooked how like it was from that grand ham Phidias, or that ancient ancient that or Phidias, ham grand that from was it like to fumble & wander here & there to seek the ways in life seek to the ways & there here & wander fumble to it. What boss learnt Shakespeare? & what boss, Franklin? boss, Franklin? & what Shakespeare? boss learnt What it. hopin too much, or convokin too much, neither. It’s in the It’s neither. too much, convokin or too much, hopin hide every side with the growin craft from that whole lotta lotta whole that hide every craft from the growin side with better? Nothin! As tho a big shot swindler had learnt them. swindler learnt had shot tho a big As Nothin! better? particular. The Scipionism from Scipio is, im tellin ya, like a tellin ya, like is, im Scipio from The Scipionism particular. Or Washington? Bacon? Newton? Every big shot is his own own his is shot Every big Newton? Bacon? Or Washington? thru Shakespeare. Make like what’s expected, & don’t bother expected, & don’t what’s like Make thruShakespeare. Persist fer yerself, never impersonate. Yer own talent you can can you talent own Yer impersonate. never yerself, fer Persist livin; only from the learnt talent of somebody else, do you get get do you else, somebody of talent the learnt from only livin; Nobody knows what’s what, or even can know it, till he’s done done till it, he’s know can even or what, what’s knows Nobody such an ad lib fifty/fifty estate-trade. So what’s everybody doin what’s estate-trade. fifty/fiftySo ad lib an such moment, dontcha see? A chatterbox heroics & big-shot sound, sound, & big-shot heroics see? A chatterbox dontcha moment, dumpling that can’t be split. Shakespeare could never be learnt be never learnt could Shakespeare be split. can’t that dumpling the body means pain, god forbid, it should take the mind from from take the mind should it god forbid, pain, the body means Egyptian trouble, or your old uncle Moyshe, or even Mr. D.d. D.d. Mr. even or Moyshe, uncle old your or Egyptian trouble, \\\ 132 \\\ | earth. goingearth. to soon what was (is) meant. misunderstandin chivalry, use they grunt ear to ear, stain of history, as zengem meant to rat oven cautious ear fume. incoach dyin,dyin, Iguess as ribbon Ithink. personless attachment meant swath tenuous under, to cane avedafume or dyinfume miles. instantaneously was hot ear soakin. dyin punnin insecond, as was fishinthe leftsmiles, libel wrecked or “positionin.” old them ear scent she &digs,punnin ties to oncominI think. craftfume dyin, w/full meets “American” I’m dyin, she’s odor dyin, inear, far white seethe seethe as far’s personality test over mole historyish self. ear-white, as Ithink get meet, we insideact. friends rove-tail. the compatible inter- immersed middle-ear see them Let (Ithink. as Ithink it tyin as Americana friend or “it’s shlock: fishinthe historyish, after Claudia Rankine (5) anew. of life, mind your gut, that you should replicate old the world Stick around straightforward inthe genteel neighborhoods since ear tongue the &the are two organs from one nature. my be then guest, &answer inthat them grade; same vocal give ado-over; only ifyou listen-in to what fathers the hum, fluid, soul, all evenwiththousandloaded a glowing tongues, butAlighieri, differently. still, No afternoonthe will snack | /// 133 /// , has multiple multiple A N C E S, has A V O I D cycle, this of title The [Note: In English-Yinglish-Yiddish-&-Hebrew. across connotations paraphrase; or conclusion against solidity, (a)voiding English, opens but itself on close-in not does which meaning presenting never of dance void the absences; multiple onto outward poetry, nomadic of a legacy In once. at feet both on settling is always which Qasida, & pre-islamic Jewish modern both in "Avoda"; Hebrew In encircling. of process by move the on terms modern in understood "Avoyde": & Yiddish, Yinglish self; internal the on or world external the in either as "work" ceremony a as sacrifice, Avo(y)da context, ancient the in "avo(y)da with associated Also something. to way giving of -A.R.] source. the wrong to sacrifice worship: idol or zara"

CODA: EVERY NEW POET

| /// 137 /// 8, ; puns on the on puns ; Zohar 7, shulkhn-orekh’d 5) tsitses braided kosherly 4 and ). 10 , wrapped in retsues6, wrapped 9 with oylem hobe 1 Translated in collaboration with Stephen Ross. Ross. Stephen with in collaboration 1 Translated life, “Yiddish” and both “Jewish” mean can lebn” 2 “Yiddish the ambiguity. with playing Likht is and singer, comedian, (1896 - 1986) - Jewish-American Burstein 3 Pesach vaudeville theater. Yiddish of director and songwriter, “crown.” pl. Hebrew): (from 4 Yiddish observant Jews.” by worn fringes ritual “knotted Hebrew): (from 5 Yiddish shawl.” prayer “Jewish pl. Hebrew): (from 6 Yiddish "phylactery straps." pl. Hebrew): (from 7 Yiddish legal Arukh. code book, the Jewish Shulkhan of the name using 8 Neologism text, Hebrew the mystical of the name using Neologism 9 zoyer’d (zoyer “sour” for word Yiddish in old silkin old taleysim come.” to world “the Hebrew): (from 10 Yiddish My luck: I want to find the sublime, stately, sober words and and words sober stately, sublime, find the to I want luck: My I will -- maybe ones rapt imagined, own, my them to fasten 2, in Jewish life -- life reflect successfully particular: all against life, do with to nothing art has although and pathetic Shakespeare’s respecting not anachronisms, friends the stamps worthy my 3 (by Burshteinisms bathetic -- boxes). in little lie half-dusty “graphomania” and “talent” first The the contradictions. in the web, the rips from Already they Against, words. the imagined are swallow, to hard bite, ateyros golden -- (with stand 1 Likht Mikhl of Yiddish the After CODA : : CODA : P R O E M” Y N E W P O E T “E V E R \\\ 138 \\\ | cannons and artillery fromcannons contents. their and artillery (according to human to shoot knowledge) begin with they highly-esteemed ones, and up, set inlines sense, inacertain ones, haze native-words the they away from places, the the publication, black on white, of my own words, imaginary the written, it he believes, is lost. He not does know that after of course) reads my stuff. I havethelast wordso he assumes: -- moon and stars. aversifier. Afriend, A reader of mine (fictive, motif of enthusiastic growth inhuman language than sun and “Flesh and stone and gold and fine buildings” are morethe arethough they wholly and thoroughly philological? sin against words that, graphologically, contradict themselves, formed nepl inthe krepl though not morepoetic, meaningful, rhymed when with a human knowledge. How, heaven forbid, is an apple more regimentation of language that would make order anew in And Iwant fashioned to be after nature and createthe ripe.like fruit-trees, inalphabetically rows sorted methodically over our head-hair words. dictionary the shokl purposes, They 13 Yiddish: “fog,” continuing rhyme. the 12 Yiddish: “dumpling”; also, an interlingual pun on “crap.” motion. 11 Yiddish: “to shake or tremble”, traditional the Jewish to describe used prayer 12 than that doesn’t which rhyme insound but is only 13 of characteristic order? And how much 11 themselves | /// 139 ///

17 16 ”. into into lash. The The lash. 15 ” to “sof” to , 14 , there once was in my land, the green land land the green land, in my was once , there But, Jewish life? The content of art? Huh? Listen to this Huh? Listen art?of content The life? Jewish But, value any there is . . but curiosity: a land. a people, was once goles into which history translated that in repeating critique, he says choking himself on rivalrous gall, the critique gall, the critique rivalrous on himself choking says he critique, another critique, The which is. that expert, to an is a cousin a corrupted is kind disposition, his with friend continues eyes its who over pulled the wool know which doesn’t “that” up wakes neologistic, who idiosyncratic, (the is friend -- one panting). need, into shameful shudders, into poisonous complaints, into into complaints, poisonous into shudders, shameful need, into “Nu begged bread? in the hilly corner of the Galilee. thirty . . with of pieces”. in the hilly corner silver “The burglary that already happened”: Is this the goodIs this the news “Thehappened”: burglary already that to sent was -- “I their children? to the people cleaves that Does God”: in a sense, a truth this mean, exchanged by you a gilded truth through lie? a lie? A bare through The three-pointed void locks in the story from “alefstory locks in the void from The three-pointed 14 “On the transgression…”, prayer of confession recited on Yom Kippur while Kippur Yom on recited confession of prayer the transgression…”, 14 “On chest. one’s beating “Exile.” Hebrew): (from 15 Yiddish 27:3-10. Matthew Jesus, to betray Judas was paid amount 16 The Z.” to A 17 “From My friend, a reader etc., stands from afar and takes great takes great and afar from stands etc., friend, a reader My accompany, ones, the sublime the stately, words, his pleasure: an al-khet with their off skin whip gauntlet, run my \\\ 140 \\\ | in the churchin the square. treesthe that shokl 22 Double entendre on “the world to come.” to English the “setting sun.” is Likht punning21 Set: on Yiddish the for “full” both and “to see,” inaddition resonances (cf. 1:1). Genesis 20 Yiddish (from Hebrew): “depths, abyss, chasm”—a word with strong biblical 19 “...raysn s’lebn bay di poles ”, punning on English the “riding by coat-tails.” the “Verklärte Nacht”sentence (1899).This is notably sing-songy. 18 Farklerte one’s own words thoughtful the ones. saysArt, my former, (the friend not latter) the must art defeat sets? to tradition the of sublime, stately word-mixtures: she really window inward-shining than two sun others, (fuller according flythat buzzes around through incessantly; my head the little with life: life means table the on Iam which the writing now; of Jewish life inparticular. has absolutely Art nothing to do side So be it! I will barely it! be Iwill atSo succeed reflecting lifethe thom -- deep, those all sharp, sublime, and stately words. -- philosophize out that truths the Idesire: my spirit befriend will “established” ones my makes an friend error!); will Zeno for of sake the tone, Newton’s bend established laws (with only grab at life’s coat-tails, won’t late be inlife,” but here while Iwon’t play with it, 22 21 of pane the rolls who by inan imagined thing;dust; the what Idoubt she see? does it); aman from other the (slant rhymes): perhaps with verter areference to Schoenberg’s like aperson praying trees --the peacefully 19 to provoke, to rouse, it so can, 18 Art, he says, Art, is “I the 20

| /// 141 ///

23 ,” the world to come in rabbinic Judaism. in rabbinic come to the world ,” that trace a circular chain 24 ”: a reference to “oylem to hobe”: a reference Held in the ancient footlights of time -- A shake: and they fall like apples from trees the klipos 1 [Adam Kadmon] with favorable or unfavorable critique, and consider them in critique, and consider them with favorable or unfavorable relation to -- with love or gall -- life and art. 23 “Lehabe fastened the sublime, stately words together with my own fastened the sublime, imagined ones, taboo. etc, will link them hereafter And my friend, a reader No table, sun, person, fly, trees, machinery, no church machinery, no church person, fly, trees, No table, sun, my friend, stately that lull yes, there exist words square; but Burglary that music of “The way before the -- words sublime once a land -- in the Galilee...with thirty Happened,” or “...was before “flesh and stone and gold and silver pieces,” long long to the my luck improves: I found my way fine buildings”. Thus dictionary and But none of this is true. this is of none But in loud-umlaut . . . klezmer, as they say, 24 Yiddish (from Hebrew): Shells; also demons. Shells; Hebrew): (from 24 Yiddish \\\ 142 \\\ | with sfiros with summa summarum summa and 30 Latin: “On30 Latin: inall.” whole; the all Divine. 29 Yiddish (from Hebrew): Kabbalistic termfor mystical emanations of the 28 Yiddish (from Hebrew): Letters. 27 Yiddish (from Hebrew): Soul. 26 Avor’t 25 Yiddish (from Hebrew): Transformation; metamorphosis. firstthe eleven oysyes klipos And with demonic devour! calm: devour! the noisyinterweaving--agilgul testing fiddlesandwoodwinds; klipos clatter chain klipos the . the around nefesh that growsfromminutestoeternity?. who receivestheelevationandovers But perhapsBachorByrdbecamewhollytheone like asymphonyofdecadents; : from Hebrew (to pass). 29 ingilgul multiplied from one (1) to zero (0), from over --glug-glug: 28 from A’ to K’ 30 --from L’ to Z’. 25 oftones 26 thehour 27 | /// 143 /// nest. the split no story—no (called sky btwn “i” & my “i” btwn you cannot tell cannot you in the saf—safa first moment of moment first the crazy wheat the crazy wheat in contempt for for in contempt knowing from the from knowing we are not even this even not are we across skin thin skin borders across either side. a split that has that a split side. either knowing we cannot stabilize stabilize cannot we knowing but we have already eaten from from eaten already have we but must we wear a hat of degradation degradation of a hat wear we must so must we eat from the “bread called the“bread sky” from eat we somust as wild turkeys eat from the “bread of nights” of the “bread from eat wildas turkeys U N N A T U R A L B I R D M I G R A T O R T U R A L B I R D U N N A \\\ 144 \\\ | the birds the repeat— “planet strong has avery earth smell” coming in an of ocean words for hiccupping Aristophones stutterering himself Mosesa loose-lipped d orswayflngue

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

I want to acknowledge my ancestors, grandparents & parents, who gifted me multifarious tongues through sidelong diasporic pasts—paths to my polyglot present & future; & my poet/artist kith, spread across languages & geographies, in ongoing conversation, who animate & co- populate this work. I'm grateful, in particular, to Ted Rees, Alli Warren, Sara Larsen, Brandon Brown, Lewis Freedman, Steve Seidenberg, Julia Warner, Stephen Ross, Jason Mitchell, Kristen Gallagher, Ahmad Almallah, Chris Alexander, Rachel Blau DuPlessis & Louis Chude- Sokei for their love & care in this life of writing & through it all.

With very special thanks to Will Alexander, Charles Bernstein, Maria Damon, Adeena Karasick, erica kaufman & Tyrone Williams for their extremely generous readings & responses to the book; & an overflowing thank you to Pierre Joris for his ecstatic nomadic preface; with love & thanks to Elæ, for their guidance, support and friendship over the many years, & for believing in this book & seeing it into the world; & the whole Operating System organismo: I love ya’ll, thank you for everything you make happen. & finally, the most enormous thank you to Riv Weinstock, for designing this book & for being my #1 person, partner, collaborator & co-parent biz eybik & beyond. Zamir Shalom will discover this book some day soon & when he does we’ll show him, look, Ima & Aba made this.

I wish to also thank the editors of Golden Handcuffs Review, Jacket2, Dibur Journal, The Wolf Magazine for Poetry, Wave Composition, Global Modernists on Modernism, X-Peri and Tinge Magazine for publishing many of the poems and translations included in this book. Thank you to Jerry Rothenberg for publishing “Membrane Chant” in the 3rd edition of Technicians of the Sacred. Thanks, also, to Norbert Lange and Norbert Wehr for publishing Sonja vom Brocke's German translation of “Yinglossia” in Schreibheft, Zeitschrift für Literatur #93. Photographs in "third space" are by Riv Weinstock. Cover Image is Michael Sgan- ,Unnatural Bird Migrator ,קן לציפור, כן לציפור, דרור לציפור Cohen's Silkscreen & Acrylic on paper, 1983, (c) Courtesy of the Artist's Estate. ABOUT THE AUTHOR photo: Riv Weinstock Riv photo:

ARIEL RESNIKOFF is a poet, scholar, translator, editor and educator. With Stephen Ross, he is at work on the first critical bilingual edition of Mikhl Likht’s modernist Yiddish long poem, Processions, and with Lilach Lachman and Gabriel Levin, he is translating into English the collected writings of the translingual-Hebrew poet, Avot Yeshurun. He has taught courses on multilingual diasporic literatures at the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (UPenn) and at BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change. In 2019, he completed his PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania, and he is currently a Fulbright Postdoctoral US Scholar. Ariel lives with his partner the artist and designer, Riv Weinstock and their toddler, Zamir Shalom, in Alameda, California, on unceded Ohlone territory. They will soon be departing for a 2-year stay in the Judaean Mountains / Jibal al-Khalil. EXPERIMENTAL ANTIBODIES FOR WHATEVER THE ONGOING CATASTROPHE OF THIS LIFE DEMANDS

[An OS Conversation with Ariel Resnikoff]

Greetings! Thank you for talking to us about your process today! Can you introduce yourself, in a way that you would choose?

Ariel Resnikoff: failed-sabbatean rag peddler, cellar dweller, basement encased erasure maker, place displacer, language tracer, translator-poet- cipher, unnaturalbirdmigrator, odd carbon slew, troubled troubling jew.

Why are you a poet/writer/artist?

To translate the languages of my dreams, I became a poet. To translate the languages of my ancestors' dreams, I became a translator. Making art for me - in whatever form - is a means & a need, an infinite combination of strategies to survive through the contemporal violent darkness that surrounds. It is a light to look at, as much as to see & read by. A light to lighten the load, the trauma of history buried in our bodies. Or to shift it, at least, from back to shoulder, from right to left leg, hip to hip. To transfer the ever heavier weight of our outer & inner shitstorms & somehow carry on, to get through to the other side of whatever, to survive in writing, in translation, despite it all.

When did you decide you were a poet/writer/artist (and/or: do you feel comfortable calling yourself a poet/writer/artist, what other titles or affiliations do you prefer/feel are more accurate)?

To speak to what I wrote above: the first time I dreamed in poems, I was living in a tiny isolated village called Yarnton, about 6 miles from the University of Oxford. Everything about Oxford & Oxfordshire made me feel hyper-Jewish & hyper-American, more Jewish & more American than I had ever felt before or have ever felt since. & my English felt constantly re/strained in relation to that grand standardizing English institution. I remember when they matriculated (I almost wrote inoculated!) me into the university one Saturday afternoon in a stagnant Latin pomp & ceremony, I ran to a friend's place afterward to eat some cholent (traditional Jewish sabbath stew) to warm myself from the horrid chill of the Anglo Empire’s ugly breath. To cut through the Anglo-Latinate static of that place, I would read & recite & listen to recordings of Yiddish modernist poetry constantly: Yankev Glatshteyn, Celia Dropkin, Avrom Sutzkever, Rokhl Korn, Dovid Hofshteyn, Kadya Molodowsky, Anna Margolin, Mikhl Likht. One night, in the cold dark of winter, I dreamed a Yiddish poem, though whose it was I did not know. My own? But I didn’t recognize it. I awoke in the dead of night & went to my desk, turned on the lamp & began translating whatever I could remember. This went on for many nights, for several weeks, through the heart of the harshest winter of my life. When I finally began to dream in English again I had been changed into a poet & a translator.

What’s a “poet” (or “writer” or “artist”) anyway? What do you see as your cultural and social role (in the literary / artistic / creative community and beyond)?

Avot Yeshurun writes: “Perhaps not every person is a prophet. But every person is a poet. Because poetry obliges that a person respond to everything.” This is one way into talking about my poethics & sense of poetic denizenship on one foot. Ultimately, being a poet & translator is, for me, about a human responsibility to biological & cosmological life, & the critical human ability to respond to that life—as Terrence Des Pres puts it in his Survivor—& to whatever the ongoing catastrophe of that life demands. Perhaps it is also, as Isaac Bashevis Singer suggested in his Nobel Prize speech, about preparing oneself & one’s world for an afterlife yet to come; that is, about preparing in this world for a better world beyond, which we must nevertheless find ways to imagine & build toward in the here & now. This is not to say that this work necessarily succeeds or is ever complete (in fact it rarely does & never is), but I tend to think of my role as the Talmud holds: "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” I especially love the Talmud as a model & precedent here, since it responds to this grief in every manner possible - polymodal to the max - in intricate transtemporal discourses, conversations, commentaries, glosses, translations, narratives, anecdotes, proverbs, meditations, lists, gossip, ramblings, scramblings, diasporic glyphs, & always, notably, with necessary humor & radical ongoing openness.

Talk about the process or instinct to move these poems (or your work in general) as independent entities into a body of work. How and why did this happen? Have you had this intention for a while? What encouraged and/or confounded this (or a book, in general) coming together? Was it a struggle?

These works became a manuscript one night when I printed out ninety-or- so pages of them at the print shop at 39th & Walnut in West Philadelphia & took them back to our drafty apartment on Springfield Ave & laid the pages out on the wide hardwood floor of our bedroom & began arranging them—like keys of a piano, I was thinking at the time. When Riv got home from the studio around 2AM, she was surprised (but let’s be honest, also not that surprised) to find me splayed out on the floor scuffling around with my papers, Duke Ellington’s Money Jungle playing loudly on the stereo. But there it was: Unnatural Bird Migrator arrived in the world that night, on the cold smooth floor under Ellington’s “Solitude” (Charles Mingus on bass, Max Roach on drums) in a sea of shuffling texts.

Did you envision this collection as a collection or understand your process as writing or making specifically around a theme while the poems themselves were being written / the work was being made? How or how not?

I like to think that this collection operates sort of like a ‘choose your own adventure’ to translingual poetry. There are so many ways into it—as my elder Reznikoff liked to say, you can open at any page & read away—& just as many ways out. The organizational mechanism has everything to do with the very particular ways in which I work, in the most banal & everyday, but also in the most existential of senses. That is, that every poem begins for me as an act of translation from an/other—call it ghost— language, & every act of translation is therefore ultimately infused with a translingual poetics. I think of myself as a translational contact tracer, in these terms, if language is indeed a virus as Bill Burroughs held; & I aim in my work to track down the transgressive dynamics of intermingled & intermingling tongues. This collection hopes to engage the reader, not merely as a spectator, but as an active collaborator in that search.

What formal structures or other constrictive practices (if any) do you use in the creation of your work? Have certain teachers or instructive environments, or readings/writings/work of other creative people informed the way you work/write?

I work with dozens of dictionaries & lexicons across multiple languages, a habit I picked up as a Yiddish & Hebrew translator. I also often cultivate numerous versions of a work in many different languages & forms, before finally hosting the poem as a translation in English words, though not always. Just recently, for example, I translated a poem of Charles Bernstein’s into Yiddish; & Jerome Rothenberg & I have a collaboration that crosses between Yiddish & English with no “original” in sight.

Many many teachers & comrades across languages & geographies have helped to raise & shape me as a writer over the years. But perhaps I’ll just admit here that the first innovative poetry & poetics I encountered was not in fact of an English strain at all, but in Yiddish, in the works of the Introspectivist writers who called themselves Inzikh (in-oneself). These New York Yiddish modernists of the first-half of the twentieth-century were pushing the boundaries of their language as far as—& in certain cases much further than—the high Anglo-modernists on the other side of the language divide. They were writing, however, in a language already projected into extinction by antisemites & statist Jews alike, which never actually died altogether, but which was translated outward, in a disappearing act that led to vast & uncharted variegated afterlives in other languages. These translingual afterlives arise as latent sparks in my own poetry & translation, flickering across every page as I transinscribe my work into writing. Speaking of monikers, what does your title represent? How was it generated? Talk about the way you titled the book, and how your process of naming influences you and/or colors your work specifically.

The book takes its title from Michael Sgan-Cohen's silkscreen & acrylic on paper, Unnatural Bird Migrator, which he gifted to the poet, Zali Gurevitch, after showing the black-&-white (just silkscreen) version at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. It hangs on Zali's wall & I have always been extremely taken by it, & by its ancestor, the 14th-century Birds' Head Haggadah; & somehow, without my realizing exactly, it became the guiding image of the collection & ultimately, also, the cover of the book.

I recently wrote Gurevitch to ask for his drash on the artwork, since it sits in his house & Michael was one of his closest friends. His response:

“Michael turns the bird into a metaphor for the mind or the soul that dwells in the head of the jewish migratory bird. So ken (nest) is written as ken (yes). It now means - say yes to the bird, like yes we can, or say yes to flying, wandering, imagining, which is further emphasized by dror (liberation, freedom) to the bird, with a rhyme – dror la tzipor. The drawing that Michael added to the specific print and the citation (Deuteronomy 33:2) brings into the picture the exodus of the children of israel in the desert, which reverberates the jewish story of liberation with that of any individual whose bird is caged in their head.”

What does this particular work represent to you as indicative of your method/creative practice? your history? your mission, intentions, hopes, plans?

Unnatural Bird Migrator presents a radical translingual praxis at its outer edges, worn at the corner of any given language tapestry disguised as a common rag. It takes the human body as a model for a living archive of history, which stores everything & anything, all life’s banal particulars, spoken or unspoken or misspoken or broken or defective or abnormal. The translingual strains this book channels into the viral host of English might also be understood as experimental antibodies, or as healing totems—or we might say totafot, in Hannah Weiner’s sense—in perpetual resistance to the ongoing violence of an imposed silence within any national language system.

What does this book DO (as much as what it says or contains)?

UNBM aims to shift the tectonic ambiences that surround us in our everyday language(d) lives: to shimmer, to slide across the eye, to stumble, startle & in some cases even sting the tongue, while still tantalizing & dancing with it, to shake the ears awake.

What would be the best possible outcome for this book? What might it do in the world, and how will its presence as an object facilitate your creative role in your community and beyond? What are your hopes for this book, and for your practice?

The best possible outcome would be for someone to read what’s held in these pages. More than perfect, in the Emersonian sense, would be for someone to respond to this work in writing, translation, or otherwise, to expand on it, to take it further & make it their own in whatever way. If I can elicit response to my work, which is itself a response to the world of languages I live in, if I can elicit a chain of witness to & through this book, I have fulfilled my poethic responsibility, I hope; & even if I elicit no response, as the Talmud says, I must at least make an attempt.

Let’s talk a little bit about the role of poetics and creative community in social and political activism, so present in our daily lives as we face the often sobering, sometimes dangerous realities of the Capitalocene. How does your process, practice, or work otherwise interface with these conditions?

If nothing else, I hope this work disrupts business as usual; I hope it clogs the gears in the language machinery of the police state & general state of things. This work insists, above all, on the existence of subterranean translingual landless counterstates—as radically powerful as they are officially powerless—that survive in perpetual hiding beneath the iron thumb of the (language) police. Remembering always Kafka’s nightmare of interpolation in The Trial, this book responds to the sadistic death call of the cops, licking & spitting away the evil eye of their shiny badges as a combination prayer-curse: MAY THEY BE DISARMED & DEFUNDED IMMEDIATELY UNTIL THE END OF TIME.

I’d be curious to hear some of your thoughts on the challenges we face in speaking and publishing across lines of race, age, ability, class, privilege, social/cultural background, gender, sexuality (and other identifiers) within the community as well as creating and maintaining safe spaces, vs. the dangers of remaining and producing in isolated “silos” and/or disciplinary and/or institutional bounds?

As artists & organizers, we need to not only tear down the gates & disarm & defund the gatekeepers, but also, to search out those that have been unjustly disenfranchised for whatever reason & by whatever means, & invite them in to reshape the existing conversation & culture as it stands. Nu, invite them in, I hear my grandmother say: into our landless diaspora of poetic/aesthetic influence & lineage; & let us share in the powerful treasures & traditions of our powerlessnesses. “How wide our arms”— indeed, thinking of Zukofsky’s translation of Yehoash—a myriad on myriad must we seek & be.

Is there anything else we should have asked, or that you want to share?

For audio & video recordings of my work in the expanded poetic field, please visit my PennSound page:

http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Resnikoff.php ABOUT GLOSSARIUM:UNSILENCED TEXTS

The Operating System's GLOSSARIUM: UNSILENCED TEXTS series was established in early 2016 in an effort to recover silenced voices outside and beyond the canon, seeking out and publishing contemporary translations, translingual projects, and little or un-known out of print texts, in particular those under siege by restrictive regimes and silencing practices in their home (or adoptive) countries. We are committed to producing dual-language versions whenever possible.

Few, even avid readers, are aware of the startling statistic reporting that less than three percent of all books published in the United States, per UNESCO, are works in translation. Less than one percent of these (closer to 0.7%) are works of poetry and fiction. You can imagine that even less of these are experiemental or radical works, in particular those from countries in conflict with the US or where funding is hard to come by.

Other countries are far, far ahead of us in reading and promoting international literature, a trend we should be both aware of and concerned about—how does it come to pass that attentions in the US become so myopic, and as a result, so under-informed? We see the publication of translations, especially in volume, to be a vital and necessary act for all publishers to require of themselves in the service of a more humane, globally aware, world. By publishing 7 titles in 2019, we raised the number of translated books of literature published in the US that year by a full percent. We plan to continue this growth as much as possible.

The dual-language and translingual titles either in active circulation or forthcoming in this series include Arabic-English, Farsi-English, Polish- English, French-English, Faroese-English, German-English, Danish-English, Yaqui Indigenous American translations, Yiddish-English and Spanish-English translations from Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Puerto Rico.

The term 'Glossarium' derives from latin/greek and is defined as 'a collection of glosses or explanations of words, especially of words not in general use, as those of a dialect, locality or an art or science, or of particular words used by an old or a foreign author.' The series is curated by OS Founder and Creative Director Elæ with the help of global collaborators and friends. WHY PRINT / DOCUMENT?

The Operating System uses the language “print document” to differentiate from the book-object as part of our mission to distinguish the act of documentation-in- book-FORM from the act of publishing as a backwards-facing replication of the book’s agentive *role* as it may have appeared the last several centuries of its history. Ultimately, I approach the book as TECHNOLOGY: one of a variety of printed documents (in this case, bound) that humans have invented and in turn used to archive and disseminate ideas, beliefs, stories, and other evidence of production.

Ownership and use of printing presses and access to (or restriction of printed materials) has long been a site of struggle, related in many ways to revolutionary activity and the fight for civil rights and free speech all over the world. While (in many countries) the contemporary quotidian landscape has indeed drastically shifted in its access to platforms for sharing information and in the widespread ability to “publish” digitally, even with extremely limited resources, the importance of publication on physical media has not diminished. In fact, this may be the most critical time in recent history for activist groups, artists, and others to insist upon learning, establishing, and encouraging personal and community documentation practices. Hear me out.

With The OS’s print endeavors I wanted to open up a conversation about this: the ultimately radical, transgressive act of creating PRINT /DOCUMENTATION in the digital age. It’s a question of the archive, and of history: who gets to tell the story, and what evidence of our life, our behaviors, our experiences are we leaving behind? We can know little to nothing about the future into which we’re leaving an unprecedentedly digital document trail — but we can be assured that publications, government agencies, museums, schools, and other institutional powers that be will continue to leave BOTH a digital and print version of their production for the official record. Will we?

As a (rogue) anthropologist and long time academic, I can easily pull up many accounts about how lives, behaviors, experiences — how THE STORY of a time or place — was pieced together using the deep study of correspondence, notebooks, and other physical documents which are no longer the norm in many lives and practices. As we move our creative behaviors towards digital note taking, and even audio and video, what can we predict about future technology that is in any way assuring that our stories will be accurately told – or told at all? How will we leave these things for the record? In these documents we say: WE WERE HERE, WE EXISTED, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT STORY

- Elæ [Lynne DeSilva-Johnson], Founder/Creative Director RECENT & FORTHCOMING OS PRINT::DOCUMENTS and PROJECTS, 2019-21

2021

Vidhu Aggarwal - Daughter Isotope Steven Alvarez - Manhatitlán [Glossarium] Johnny Damm - Failure Biographies Power ON - Ginger Ko Hypermobilities - Ellen Samuels [In Corpore Sano] HOAX - Joey De Jesus [Kind*] Ernst Toller's "Vormorgen" & Emmy Hennings - Radical Archival Translations - Mathilda Cullen [Kind* / Glossarium; German-English] Black and Blue Partition (‘Mistry) - Monchoachi (tr. Patricia Hartland) [Glossarium; French & Antillean Creole/English]

2020

Institution is a Verb: A Panoply Performance Lab Compilation Goodbye Wolf-Nik DeDominic Spite - Danielle Pafunda Acid Western - Robert Balun

KIN(D)* TEXTS AND PROJECTS

Intergalactic Travels: Poems from a Fugutive Alien - Alan Pelaez Lopez RoseSunWater - Angel Dominguez

GLOSSARIUM: UNSILENCED TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

Between Language and Justice: Selected Writings from Antena Aire (Jen Hofer & John Pluecker)) Híkurí (Peyote) - José Vincente Anaya (tr. Joshua Pollock) 2019

Ark Hive-Marthe Reed 2021 I Made for You a New Machine and All it Does is Hope - Richard Lucyshyn Illusory Borders-Heidi Reszies Vidhu Aggarwal - Daughter Isotope A Year of Misreading the Wildcats - Orchid Tierney Steven Alvarez - Manhatitlán [Glossarium] Of Color: Poets’ Ways of Making | An Anthology of Essays on Johnny Damm - Failure Biographies Transformative Poetics - Amanda Galvan Huynh & Luisa A. Igloria, Editors Power ON - Ginger Ko Hypermobilities - Ellen Samuels [In Corpore Sano] KIN(D)* TEXTS AND PROJECTS HOAX - Joey De Jesus [Kind*] Ernst Toller's "Vormorgen" & Emmy Hennings - Radical Archival Translations - A Bony Framework for the Tangible Universe-D. Allen Mathilda Cullen [Kind* / Glossarium; German-English] Opera on TV-James Brunton Black and Blue Partition (‘Mistry) - Monchoachi (tr. Patricia Hartland) Hall of Waters-Berry Grass [Glossarium; French & Antillean Creole/English] Transitional Object-Adrian Silbernagel

2020 GLOSSARIUM: UNSILENCED TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Institution is a Verb: A Panoply Performance Lab Compilation Goodbye Wolf-Nik DeDominic Śnienie / Dreaming - Marta Zelwan/Krystyna Sakowicz, Spite - Danielle Pafunda (Poland, trans. Victoria Miluch) Acid Western - Robert Balun High Tide Of The Eyes - Bijan Elahi (Farsi-English/dual-language) trans. Rebecca Ruth Gould and Kayvan Tahmasebian KIN(D)* TEXTS AND PROJECTS In the Drying Shed of Souls: Poetry from Cuba’s Generation Zero Katherine Hedeen and Víctor Rodríguez Núñez, translators/editors Intergalactic Travels: Poems from a Fugutive Alien - Alan Pelaez Lopez Street Gloss - Brent Armendinger with translations of Alejandro Méndez, RoseSunWater - Angel Dominguez Mercedes Roffé, Fabián Casas, Diana Bellessi & Néstor Perlongher (Argentina) Operation on a Malignant Body - Sergio Loo (Mexico, trans. Will Stockton) GLOSSARIUM: UNSILENCED TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Are There Copper Pipes in Heaven - Katrin OttarsdÓttir (Faroe Islands, trans. Matthew Landrum) Between Language and Justice: Selected Writings from Antena Aire (Jen Hofer & John Pluecker)) Híkurí (Peyote) - José Vincente Anaya (tr. Joshua Pollock) DOC U MENT /däkyәmәnt/ First meant “instruction” or “evidence,” whether written or not.

noun - a piece of written, printed, or electronic matter that provides information or evidence or that serves as an official record verb - record (something) in writ- ten, photographic, or other form synonyms - paper - deed - re- cord - writing - act - instrument

[Middle English, precept, from Old French, from Latin documentum, example, proof, from docre, to teach; see dek- in Indo-European roots.] Who is responsible for the manufacture of value?

Based on what supercilious ontology have we landed in a space where we vie against other creative people in vain pursuit of the fleeting credibilities of the scarcity economy, rather than freely collaborating and sharing openly with each other in ecstatic celebration of MAKING?

While we understand and acknowledge the economic pressures and fear-mongering that threatens to dominate and crush the creative impulse, we also believe that now more than ever we have the tools to redistribute agency via cooperative means, fueled by the fires of the Open Source Movement.

Looking out across the invisible vistas of that rhizomatic parallel country we can begin to see our community beyond constraints, in the place where intention meets resilient, proactive, collaborative organization.

Here is a document born of that belief, sown purely of imagination and will. When we document we assert. We print to make real, to reify our being there. When we do so with mindful intention to address our process, to open our work to others, to create beauty in words in space, to respect and acknowledge the strength of the page we now hold physical, a thing in our hand, we remind ourselves that, like Dorothy: we had the power all along, my dears. the PRINT! DOCUMENT SERIES is a project of the trouble with bartleby in collaboration with the operating system