An Experiment in Collective Autobiogrqphy The EÑE EE 3l I'f qn Frqnci¡ co, 1975-1980 Bob Perelman Barrett \ffatten Steve Benson Carla Harrymán Tom Nlandel Ron Silliman Kit Robinson Lyr Hejinian Rae Armantrout Ted Pearson 978-0979C198-0-7M tt$tz"gs t lilrr¡ t crl t o this seernirtg episternolo¡¡ical cornpul- their tlrerrres rvould linger irr abundance. Governments siorr" I <'¿rn onll'v.orttler antl suslrer:t. Where is ¿r con- ¿rnd nrctli¿r reprothrr:e these f¿rnt¿rsies: the nrothers of I rol ¡ro¡rulation to conrparc us" or rnvscll, to, as I tlead softlicrs are politicnl subjccts rvhonr [hr-- st¿rtc rtconst ruct it'/ had bct-tcr not betray! Oh ves. ther there is the rrert rlilcrnnra, u'hcn thc archaic liurt¿rsv is nriretl in rvith T 111¡11. gun<k'r rrlations. Ámeric¿rn \t-omel} are visiblr' soldiers, ¿urd soltlier-*' fathers nr¿rl- have perfbrrnctl a \ ot \\t) T kne$- eaoh other then. What rnalernal role irt theit Jrarerrtirrg. Sut:h arnbiguitics rlo rorr lhinh'/ Is nrt'rccollcct.ion sorrnd- tentl to evatle t.lre tclcvision scrccn t--r cn if' thc\ rc- irrg irct:urate, too ¡rartial? llorv rvas it the rrrain irr public consciorr -.uess. s:un(' fi)r you? Ilolt r.as it difTerent? This piece w¿is very dif1i<'rrlt firr rrre to begirr. In thc 1970s u-ornen l.err''rr't allo'rved ¿r-\ nr¿ur\ roles in the militarv ¿rs ther- are no\\. T have alr.avs been opposetl to tllc rlrilitarr irr Love, Di¡cord, Arymmetry ant' lbrrrr. I revisit- the abor.e st¿rtenrenl." "l llar',r ¿rlr-¿r\.s I Lr)v r,; been opposerl to the rnilit¿rrr. in ¿rnv lirrrlr""" ¿rnrl u,on- tler about- the validitl'of the,statnn()nl. ls llris lrur: l)t,;ot't.ti (;o 1'o \\',\tt arrd tlie lbr lor-e in books and lore. in an crnotion¿rl scnsr--'/ Is this a stat('rn('nI of ,,¡,¡rosi- Nlcn are noble lltt-'n thel'le¿rve their rnotlrt-'rs and go tion'/ ln thc 1970s thc 1,.S. nrilitalr'\t'¿rs uoI lrcl<l in olf to be rnilitarv heroes. An itkral bolstt:r-* ¿r nct'cssi- high rt'garcl ¿rlId this l-¿rs llartl on l)('rsorn('l lct rrlrrirr¡¡ lr ¿ultl a nccessilr' srrpl)orts an itlt-'al. Who actu¿rllv frorn Vietnarn. \oung rnen piclicrl of l lrr t.llc tlraft gr)('s lo l-ar r'r.ith such archait' fantasies'/ 'lhe lant¿rsl antl st-rrt. ovcrseas to hill <,¿rrne lr¿r<'li. slrells of tlrern- rnav bc lading, but it is rrever tlving. Tt is selr-es, then -.uff'eretl further frorlr t.lrt' rrcglcct ol' tlrt'ir diflit:ult to be a rnan whcn tht-'re nr¿rv lrc Éiovcfnnrcrrt. Ono oI' tht'sc rrrerr \\'irs nr\ t'or¡sin. no choice ilr hor- to bt¡corne one. ILvr:n iI' 'I'hc thcnrc o1' lorc irr poetrv lt'<'ollr'<'ts all tlre tlrc lrcroic sl-or¡'book talc, thc Proucn9ul above irt rny lnirrtl and has sorneihirrg t.o rlo u.it.h rrrv I)oem, or the epic v.ere no longer reatl, then inr.c-stig¿rt.iolr of discord¿rnt. scnt.cn(:t's t.llat il' at CH Corlo Horrymon - first tlring I en\'lslorl ¿lll lr,¡rr,lrtrr' (rrcrc they?) stayr:d on tlle plal'lirl arrd ty of the u,ords in rnv nlind, thc lowlv basernerlt in a lr r,ll ol rotttance. rvhen I ellcounter the poerrr is a .jir "," s[ate institution with sorr]c recording equiprncrrt in it' w-rite this here: I \tr/r'r rr( ly cmbraces? I'm going to make up my Norv if I ()wr r(,il(.l game 50 ldon't have to look at go garden. y, ,r ¡r., \oothing words can be unsettllng. you I will to the I will be a romantic' I will sell l, rrr rw {l)crcentage, 1979l' myself in hell, I l)tst,oRt) in heaven also I w¡ll be. Creelsv'5 havirrg l rit- \\ rr r I \\()nKt,l) at the Anrerican Poetry Archivc and llow does it diil'er lrorn Robcrt I'ottlr (.r'rrlrr'" 1978-8l. a graduate stutlcnt ¿rnd ten it? (irecley's n'riting ot tLe Il-i,'rr,l. I)¡rr irl llrown, told rne a story ¿rbout rvhen lrtt Lct's sav the garclen in irl rnY v'riting of it' Antl lrr' in \ iclrr¿rrn. It is a stolv T have rctrounted elsc- poern is the s¿rrrrc gartlcn as rvho is signified in thtr \r lr,'r','. lrr¡t I summarize it agairl here. Sonretirne tlre Ladv is the s¿rnre latll a sh¿rdorv' In irnagining ruloun,l l()7 I or '72, a helicopt-er drop¡red sont boohs poern also ¿rs a door, a sliirt, authol'etl" I see rnysclf ¿l[. iur \ nrcri<:¿rn rnilitarv carnp. People srt¿rtchcd the poerrr ¿ls onc that I havc and as the thr:rrr rr¡r. l)ar.id 'lvas tcntling to sottrcone's irrjrrrr split :rs the person n'ho v'rote the pocrn sinrrrlt¿rnc- lr.herr Ilrc lroohs were tlrolt¡rcd and thus got. the last object of the poern' But I canrlot identilr' thc ruords str<'h as bool< in tlrc lrcap: it r.as -For Lo'uel¡y Robcrt Creeler'-. ously v'itlt tlte Ladv and \\'ith stand lbr her' ln rnr nrcnror\, hc ¿rssoci¿rt-es this er-ent rvith his "shadort" and "tloor" that autltor it' detr.rnrin¿rlion to be a poct and lris succcsslirl tr¿uts- The poern does not cohcre, if I not Lhr: ckror but in ¿l -s(ltltrL]' f'er to a lrrilit¿rrr b¿rse in Cerrnarrt. As the Ladl', I am door and a gartlcrt At tlrc Arnr,rican Poctry Arclrir-c, the rnost fi'e- Within thc sccne" I c¿rn see a refk:ctions frorn r¡uentlv reprorlrrcctl audio recordings l-ere flrccl:t"s better thall thc shatlows, lhich ¿rre In anothcr" non-Ladl irrrd the nlo-st n:Protlucetl pocrn was "The Door," a thc rvinclou' ancl the nrirror. sub.iect I v'ithtlrar' {rorn the scerre' I be- ¡ror:rn I heard u¡r to sevcral tirnes a rvcch u'hile it u-a-. Jrositiol" arrl obseri'ing is sornc- lr.irr¡¡ <:opied. Tt. is hardl'irecl in rne. f)espitc t.hc firi- corne an obsen'er. but lvhat I Corlq HorrYmon sharing this irr cornmon: tlrirrg like a stnte ol' rrrind: I "s(-'e" thc shadorvs gettirrg closr:r to the poct, tradition is impossible to r,.li.rrr,rl to in the pocrn ¿rs unfixetl mental inragcs. if' thc ronrantic "ter. has beerr trapPcd by it' "We" 'l'lr,' slr¿dou-s ¿trc ¿ln ¿rsl)ect of the cnvirorurlcrlt thc Lrngage, orre is in it or this is true for each of us' though l,,r,lr irrhabits Lrut thcv are rro[ ¿rt.t¿rched to lrer cvcn pr","t,.d th¿rt "or-rlJ in a di{I'erent rr-a1'. rl. ¡rirradoxicall-r,-, thcv are depcrtdetrt on hcr itnagr: ttr tradition is irrrpossiblc' I rr,rrli lheir "nragic," As Lhc rvritt¡r of the poctn. I atn Because the rornarrtic of tcpresentations frorn thc ;rlIr¿rr:ted to this un{ixed e1l'ect ol'languagr:: the sta- coultl atternPt to get rid be nothing lcfi of []re poern' or lrlc inrage, r,r'hit:h is tht-- Ladl-, rro\{ seerns l-o nle to bc poern, there rnight "lartguage poenr": ¡r scrrrctiolt. o.- hallucination" frorn thrt shatlorvs of' rn...b" there l'oultl be a l;rrrguage. As l,adl an(l ¿rutltor, I ex¡rericnce tlrlsclf' wall worshlP t lrr'rr both as sornething secretcd (secret-cd) lront lan- dresses door grrage and ¿ls sorle()rrc, contratlictorilr', protlucing thtl it slrlrlowy arrtl crcessir¡e pocrn. beYond Of coursc I arn only' pleterxling to be thc lrilt'r ol the pocrn. I havr: t:opietl ortr: quatrairt arrtl arn pre- I Asr:utlli't'nr tr.rrcling that to do so is a liintl o{' authors}rip. a ,t'l't't':n'tp'rtN(; to bring forth in this I'ritirrg l)sy- What il' I sairl, "'l'his pot-rn is mr' ¡roern'/" It l lu r¿rther a shaping as thc sl'rapc is isn't" cert¿rinly: Llnless rvhat T anr rcferrirrg 1.o is thc clrological shaptl, or The shaping is inelegant. possiblv lr riting I arn tloing noll', 'which is not poctn'. not st.nady or {ixetl. to a certain aspect of' the lovtr If' n-hat T arrr u'riting hcre is h¿rrd to ftrllorv, cotr- urrscernh¡, but related m-v erperiencr:' 'Ihe thernc of' lovr: is sirlt'r the masculirte subjcctivitl of the ltocrn as a lir- of poe[rv in clairns rl-ithin pot'tr\''s patri- trrre installetl within rrrv own lnentalit)'. "Yeah, I setl subject to ProprietarY leaps" in rrtv thinhing" u'hit:lr rvlr¿rt you nlean, tttan" i-s a language I can perfirrrn i1' ,nortl Th"- "violcnt to rne in lht: cours{l o1' our I gct rid of'rnlsclf as ot-her lrorn the poern'-* reptc- h¿rvt-. been pointecl out rnaterial, are art asPcct of' this awhrvard' strr t ¿rtions. cditing this shaping' u'hich is itself' a Or, "It's a trap," I corrld saY irr a hind of' sirn- associative, ps-vchnlogical bv its arltag- protest that also adrnires and is afli--ctetl ¡rati<:o rr-ar,-, acldressing rnyself to the inragincd ¿ruthor thesc lea¡rs (ahhough I Rolrcrt.