The Matapedia

What is it?

A road somewhere in Canada?

Shreds from a song

to form an inaccurate picture

"And we raced the Matapedia –

and we were not afraid"

But there is also an unexpected meeting

with room for ample speculation

"He said, 'Oh my God, it's Kate!'

'No, I'm the daughter of Kate.
My name is Martha.

Who are you?
Ma never told me about you.'"

And on they race the Matapedia,

with minutes to spare.

I imagine to board a ferry –

a ferry to somewhere or nowhere.

– Iself (© 2011)

Written for NaPoWrimo day 7 in response to the following: "Today’s prompt is one of musical ekphrasis. Ekphrastic poetry comments upon or is inspired by another work of art in a different medium. Most people think of it as a poem inspired by a painting or a sculpture. But it could also be music!"

Lest this remain too cryptic...
As pointed out by vivinfrance in her comment, the Matapedia is a river in Québec, Canada. I still think, however, that the song by Kate and Anna McGarrigle on the album of the same name I'm alluding to must refer to a road running along the river, but I could be wrong. I would assume that the Kate and Martha characters mentioned in the song are Kate McGarrigle and her daughter Martha Wainwright.

Here's a link to the song on Youtube:

I could feel

I could feel
some melodic drowning
coming on today
with horrid greatness.

With horrid greatness
I could feel
some melodic drowning
coming on today.

– Iself

It's all about oxymorons today, this 6th day of NaPoWriMo, and the ones I used were generated by the Serendipitous Oxymoron Maker at the very first try. And I didn't even need to consult the horoscope today ... it was all right there with horrid greatness ... that melodic drowning, or at least some of it. Beware, oh moron, of oxys.

The 2011 Francisco Cabrera Revolution

We almost missed the revolution.

– Paul Hughes

In a nightmarish café

(garish, gaudy lights,

smoke twirls, drone,

laughter, cackling)

in which I'd long given up

trying to listen to anyone

in particular, somebody

raised a glass and shouted

above the din, "Long live

the revolution!"

All I remember after that

is feeling guilty about not

knowing which revolution

this was about. But I did

not dare ask for fear of

appearing uninformed.

Which I am, about most

revolutions nowadays.

– Iself (© 2011)

Written for NaPoWriMo day 5.

The challenge today was to take another participant's poem and riff off of it. The one I riffed off of was one by Paul Hughes titled subway talk part ii (to be read here).

Time Waist

time waist time waist

time waist time waist

ime waist time wais

me waist time wai

e waist time wa

waist time

e waist time wa

me waist time wai

ime waist time wais

time waist time waist

 – Iself

A concrete poem for NaPoWriMo #4.

Not quite a 1-word poem (along the lines of Aram Saroyan's lighght, see NaPoWriMo blog), but the best I could come up with.

Freewheeling

For L.

"There are three fields I work in,"
she said, "performance, video
and drawing." (Her father prompted
with proper suggestions to go on.)

"The performances are exhausting;
they all have to do with ropes,
climbing and descent. I'm not sure
whether they are Apollinian or

Dionysian, something else I have
been interested in. In one, I cut
a bowling alley in half, making holes
in the walls left and right at about

half height to hold the rings
for my rope. I went along towards
my audience, it was both strenuous
and exhilarating. Sometimes

I caught myself wanting to laugh:
what were all these people doing,
watching me with serious eyes
as I went along." Her father prompted,

"And one of your videos was..."
"... dancing along an ugly street
in funny yellow pants. I did many
iterations of this, varying my steps,

arm movements and behavior.
A friend of mine did the filming.
Mostly the people seemed per-
plexed, not knowing what to think

of this crazy person doing this,
making way, moving aside. Not
stopping." "Is there any money
in this?" somebody asked.

"In the videos? – I suppose
they could be sold. Or the drawings
I do – that's my third field
of activity." "And how do you

do them?" her father prompted.
"I make myself rules, I restrict
myself. One drawing might be
only boxes, for example, in only

five colors, but with other rules,
to increase complexity." "And
these you would sell, there is
a market for that?" her father said.

"There is a market, and, once
it has found you, it wants you
to repeat yourself. I could become
the colored box lady,

or the rope performer, or
the hip-hop dancer of dreary
streets, both Apollinian and
Dionysian." Thus ended Lou,

to soon perform an acte
morpheusien for a change.

– Iself (© 2011)

A freewheeling act for NaPoWriMo #3, concocted fresh from the lips of Lou herself last night.

Poems and antipoems

I’m surrounded by books,
many of which I haven’t looked at in years.

Not even been aware of.
They stand there not making a peep,
even the Long Talking Bad Conditions Blues.

How funny to note books owned
for decades with renewed surprise.

In the case of Nicanor Parra
I remember a conversation with Paula and Eduardo
from earlier this year about the great Chilean poets,
during which I quoted from Violeta Parra’s
Cueca de los poetas:

    Pero el más gallo se llama
    Pablo Neruda
    Huifa ay ay.

...

    Corre que ya te agarra
    Nicanor Parra.

But the shelves I’m looking at
also carry more pedestrian stuff,
like the Dictionary of Legal,
Commercial and Political Terms.

Now that one I’ve touched more
often than the antipoems or
condition blues because I need it
for a living. Even though the poor
thing has been mostly superseded
by online sources as many
of its brothers in shelf.

Today I declare the still life
blues day for printed outdated
dictionaries, poems and antipoems
online and shelved.

– Iself (© 2011)

NaPoWriMo 2011 #2

Written upon inspiration by this (at NaPoWriMo):
"Write a poem that incorporates the titles of three books you have in your house."
The books are:
Nicanor Parra, Poems and Antipoems
Ronald Sukenick*, Long Talking Bad Conditions Blues
Dietl/Moss/Lorenz, Dictionary of Legal, Commercial and Political Terms
Singer, song writer, writer and artist Violeta Para (1917-1967) was Nicanor Parra's sister.

*Ron Sukenick (1932-2004) was one of my teachers at the University of Colorado.

Haze

That purple haze
finally appears to be lifting.
Jimi chords are coming closer,
the distortion is ebbing away.
Soon there will only be one sound left –
that of one clear, springy string.

– Iself (© 2011)

NaPoWriMo 2011 #1

Written based on the suggestion "Use a color as your title."
The color that immediately came to my mind was "hazy" – because I've been in a haze of sorts. And then, of course, it became clearer right away, because of Purple Haze.

Der rote Schubkarren

so viel hängt ab
von

einem roten Schub-
karren

besprengt mit Regen-
wasser

bei den weißen
Hühnern.

– William Carlos Williams

Ins Deutsche gebracht von Johannes Beilharz (© der Übersetzung 2011).

Original: The red wheelbarrow

Eloge an WCW

Respektlose Nachbemerkung
Was genau von den obigen poetischen Gegebenheiten abhängt, konnte bisher noch nicht hinreichend geklärt werden, gehört jedoch eindeutig ins Reich der Philosophie.

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

– William Carlos Williams

Deutsche Übertragung

Eloge an WCW

Was von dem roten
Schubkarren und

den weißen Hühnern
abhängt, konnte noch

nicht definitiv geklärt
werden. Was Regen

anrichten kann, das ist
hinreichend bekannt.

– Johannes Beilharz (© 2011)

Bezieht sich auf das häufig zitierte Gedicht von William Carlos Williams, The Red Wheelbarrow (Der rote Schubkarren).

Pijushakanti Sarkar

Ein veristisches Gedicht*

Hier kommt nichts vor, das es nicht
in unmittelbarer Umgebung gibt.

Die Stimme des Pijushakanti Sarkar
aus Bengalen wird herbeigetragen

auf mp3 und Laptop. Eine elektrische
Lampe aus gebürstetem Edelstahl

mit Mattglasschirm steht unbeleuchtet
dabei. Die Leuchtkraft durch die Fenster

reicht trotz der gesättigten Grauheit
da draußen aus. Die Sonne

ist unsichtbar. Dank Wissenschaft
wissen wir jedoch, dass sie trotzdem

da ist. Stühlerücken unter mir,
Bewegungen, Gänge, Gespräch.

Nichts Unruhiges, die beiden Kinder
kreischen nicht, die Eltern schimpfen

nicht. Da draußen ist auch ein Nieseln,
in das ich in Kürze hinaus muss.

Hier kommt nichts vor, das es nicht
in unmittelbarer Umgebung gibt.

Alles ist eine Frage von Beziehungen,
des in Bezug Setzens. Oder auch nicht.

– Johannes Beilharz (© 2011)

*Veristische Gedichte (gemäß meiner Erfindung) bedienen sich ausschließlich bei dem in nächster Nähe Befindlichen. Sie sind darin Lebensmittelläden ähnlich, in denen nur Produkte aus der unmittelbaren Umgebung angeboten werden. Sie bedienen sich auch ein bisschen bei William Carlos Williams und dessen “No ideas but in things” (oder vielleicht auch bei den Meistern der Reluktanz, deren abgekürztes Diktum “No ideas” oder vielleicht gar “No idea” zu lauten scheint).

Spielende rollende Augen

Die Augen, jene wie es nun sei,
Sie spielen im Prinzip auch verspielt!
Sie rollen!
Aristophanes, staune und flieh!
Welch göttliches Glück!
Augen!
Spielende Augen für Aristophanes.

– Iself & Poetron

Zur Genesis dieses Gedichts
Wenn einem selbst nichts einfällt, kann man sich an Poetron wenden, und der dichtet! Gefüttert habe ich ihn mit den Wörtern Aristophanes, Auge, spielen, verspielt. Und er hat was daraus gemacht, findet ihr nicht?
Neulich wurde ich zur Teilnahme an einem Workshop aufgefordert, der einem beibringt, Gedichte zu schreiben, die einen umhauen. Auf die Teilnahme musste ich leider verzichten, weil die Veranstaltung in Illinois oder Iowa oder sonstwo im Mittleren Westen stattfindet. Aber lernen würde ich das natürlich schon gern. Man denke nur: Gedichte, die einen umhauen! Sowas hab ich schon lang nicht mehr gelesen.

Die Uhr des Heiligen Panda

(Etwas aus dem Spanischen zur Erheiterung im neuen Jahr)

Die Uhr des Heiligen Panda

                       Sie geht nicht!

Arme Uhrmacherin, die du diese Uhr gebaut hast –

                    Was hast du nur mit dieser Uhr gemacht?

                          Ich denke an diese Uhr an den verschiedensten Orten

              an Uhrorten

                       die nicht gehen

– Justinián Belisar

aus dem Spanischen übersetzt von Johannes Beilharz (© 2011)

----------

El reloj del Santo Panda

                       ¡no anda!

Pobresita relojera que hiciste este reloj

                    ¿Qué has hecho con este reloj?

                          Sigo pensando en este reloj en lugares muy diversos

              En lugares de reloj

                       no andando

– Justinián Belisar (© 2002)

Anmerkung des Übersetzers
Über Justinián Belisar, den Autor dieses Gedichts, ist mir nichts bekannt, außer dass er aus Argentinien stammt. Er schickte mir 2002 per E-Mail mehrere Gedichte für mein Literaturforum mit der Bitte, sie dort zu veröffentlichen, reagierte danach aber auf keine meiner Mails.
In seinem ersten und einzigen Schreiben sagte er lediglich, dass er sich außerhalb des aktuellen Literaturbetriebs sieht, der ihn ankotzt, und dass er deshalb in seinem Heimatland regelmäßig nicht veröffentlicht wird.

A couch in New York

Ever feel like watching a lackluster romantic comedy? Well, you never know, once in a while you might. For example, to watch some stars you liked in other films.

This was the reason I recently checked out Un divan à New York (1996, German title Eine Couch in New York, i.e. A Couch in New York) with Juliette Binoche – co-star of Johnny Depp in Chocolat (2000) – and William Hurt, who had impressed me in The Accidental Tourist (1988).

Hurt plays a New York shrink on the brink of a nervous breakdown who decides he needs a change of scenery and trades homes with Binoche, who is an I already forgot what in Paris. Binoche's chaotic place in France's capital is too much of a change of scenery for Hurt (who gets attacked by pigeons, broken pipes and a jealous ex-lover of Binoche's), so he returns home after a few days, only to find that Binoche has taken over treatment of his patients, committing numerous psychology no-nos in her consultations. Strangely though, these broken rules render happy patients, something the good doctor has failed to achieve in all his years as a famous psychotherapist. He becomes a patient on his own couch...

That's how this love story with a complete lack of chemistry begins. But no, wait – it's already begun in Hurt's head while reading Binoche's intimate diary at her place (it looked rather like one of the paperback poetry books from Gallimard). If that ain't another no-no.

How about the acting qualities displayed here? Well, Hurt walks around with a permanently insulted look on his face – could also be a liver problem or constipation –, while Binoche comes off as a likeable airhead. I supppose that's meant to be French esprit.

So, if you're in the right mood for tepid romance and stuff borrowed from perhaps a dozen other movies (American and French), go ahead and watch this one.

Christian Morgenstern / Winternacht

Ein Wintergedicht zu den Feiertagen und zum Jahresende ...

Winternacht

Flockendichte Winternacht ...
Heimkehr von der Schenke ...
Stilles Einsamwandern macht,
daß ich deiner denke.

Schau dich fern im dunklen Raum
ruhn in bleichen Linnen ...
Leb ich wohl in deinem Traum
ganz geheim tiefinnen? ...

Stilles Einsamwandern macht,
daß ich nach dir leide ...
Eine weiße Flockennacht
flüstert um uns beide ...

Christian Morgenstern (1871-1914)

Für die Kenntnis dieses Gedichts danke ich Lyrikmail.