Multitudes (4 page)

Read Multitudes Online

Authors: Margaret Christakos

Tags: #Poetry, #General, #Canadian, #Women Authors

BOOK: Multitudes
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majority of posts now seem to be acts of alternative
journalism being performed for assumed allies You do this ‘for
free’ to constitute subjective reality
shifts within a radically more
virtual ‘norm’ and to vie
against the extinction of my
own vocations They all seem to believe in yourselves as
readership Curious and curiouser it competes for her first stirrings
chubmeister
city del pls
in the morning It is practically the last consumption of
each day It behaves like a social life but gradually
erases a social life as
much as it creates one
‘I’ in your third person
feels you are speaking to a
‘them’ but day by day some of us become more
untranslatable about picking up the phone as if the mirror-glass
o gawd bin th
fatroll
will crack perhaps most reticulate in mind this season is
how fb generates a theatre of people-ideas the idea of
x the idea of y
translated head to head almost
without voice As if each
accompanies each other soothingly without
the cordial stickiness of physical companionship He streams near each
other’s idea of each other without the sloppy attention-onus of
tit fail dp now
i mean it )))
mutually sustaining embodiment You edit and edit and edit She
edits You decide what you’ll edit When he’s spontaneous I
edit that in for an
allowable waft When you’re sick
with fear you’re never sick
with fear They edit so
there is no I and don’t want to be, sort of,
alone
 
ur perf omg xxx
VISTA
Distances brows lip height weight colour shade pallor age where what footwear
Key squeal groans versions events report information outcome private website
pride
Self hands weapon backyard fence uncle glove knee station details sequence conscience shut-eye morning coffee front desk
Deeds allegiances enough one visit really fun night
SUBJECT
Foramoment, Iturnedtothewindow
Iturnedand
ForamomentwhenIturnedIgatheredinformation
Thewindowwasgone
Therewasaplaceoflightinaplaceoflight
Wasashadedrawn
VISA
To detail multitudes we use
the distance between brow and
lip To detail multitudes we
zoom To detail multitudes you
count arrange by height I
weigh To detail multitudes we
think in colour shade pallor
age To detail multitudes I
squint I size up You
recall who was standing where
and in what footwear I
think in the key of
squeals and groans.
I call in my version
of events I try to
be specific and unflinching I
report You offer as much
information as you possibly can
for the good of all
concerned To secure a positive
outcome we think it through
in private and then visit
their website You swallow your
pride and fess up You
feel you should You want
to live with yourself after
all To sort out whose
hands held the weapon you
try pantomime in your backyard.
I push you into the fence and you cry uncle.
I throw the glove at
your knee You lose You
need to get down to
the station in haste Go
now so details stay crisp
persist in sequence Leap Let
your conscience breathe sleep get
some shut-eye First thing in
the morning get dressed Something
comfortable yet clean Skip coffee.
Show up at the front
desk Simply say I want
to help as much as
I can begin to detail
multitudes We do the deed
to redeem Clarify my allegiance
You were mistaken it was
a really fun night Once
is enough suffice will
have to
OBVI
When you’re sick with fear you’re never sick with, or,
You’re sick with fear you’re never sick, or,
Sick with fear you’re never, or,
With fear you’re, or,
Fear is my motherfuckin best ‘friend,’ jks
SUBJECT
Foramoment, you
Turnedtothewinnings
Youturnedand. The
Doughwasgone. For
Amomentwhenyou
Turnedyougatheredinformation
Therewasacoin
Oflightin
Placeoflight
Shadesdrawn
THE FITFUL EVENTS
These come to me days and nights and go from me again,
/
But they are not the Me
myself.
– WW
We drive for half hour come to barns with
cows a merry go round. En route we’d passed
a falls. Boats bobbed. We opted to
stop. You extracted basket from trunk unpacked
picnic. Ants gushed out small hill near
my sandal. I squished many torsos.
Little legs wafting eyelashes ephemeral
loss. Another roadtrip we sought
RV
 lot. You
hoped to trade up. I came along for the french
fries. Inside polyurethane surfaces smelled, everything
glued shut. I suggested sleeping in there might induce
asthma. You looked over my baseball cap nostrils
twitching. For once I thought maybe we didn’t make such
a good match, me, your straw. About twenty thousand
fans made a noise mass riot in action. I
couldn’t see players’ faces yet felt
seats surge. That was some drum kit, triple
drum I think. You’d stuffed toilet paper into ear
cavities drank gin cooler waved at me
from time to time. Thumbs up. Thumbs way up.
Gravel path gradually lost grit soon we rode tar.
About two thirds distance across bridge
hatchback stalled. You started shrieking at guy next to
us, at me. You said I resembled my baby
picture. Were not in control of your slurs. I
threw up next tried to climb out of car okay
taxi happened by. So I solved
all that needed solving that
evening. You got left for once, ha! A pinkish
spring day about 2 p.m. deep nasturtium beds
flamed. Sky flickered blue. Kid waddled near with
balloon dog. Thing about balloon dogs they don’t
last. Two adults hovered tad angry. I figured
it was good thing I couldn’t get preggers. You
scrape water with paddle simply hack into
river pray wooden hull shoots forward
slingshot. In quiet bar waiter lights our
tea light offers free martinis glass dish
cashews. Several women strip writhe. You pass me
proxy I sign in extra-winding script
tug at my neck until tie relents. Thank god
I whisper. All these people fit their times
all these places held form. All these events
hoisted away from my body a keyboard
I’d again moisten from afar.
 
VISIT
2 d tain multitudes Th Connors use th distance
b tween brow … Philip zooms 2 
d tain multitudes Peter n Cathy Werner count by
height n Mr Groening weighs 2 d tain multitudes th
Panachawks think in colour multitudes Van Quentin squints
Larry R sizes up M Penant recalls who
was in what footwear n Ric Hinta thinks
in th key of squeals n Katie S
website so Mrs Constantine swallows her middle daughter
Jessica R’s pride fessing up n Thierry N
…
Schumacher’s pantomime in his backyard n Pierre G
pushes Joy L into th fence Joy L
cries uncle Pierre G throws Joy L’s losses
2 Th Kanes get 2 th station in
haste Go now … let Miss Ninten’s conscience sleep
first morning get clean Coffee front desk n
report crime know … The Brothers Chang deed
n redeem Mr Allen Abernathy’s allegiances since
wazza really fun night Once will have 2
do 4 th persons d tained
OBJECTS
Forseveralmoments, weturnedfromthewindows
Therewereshadesdrawn
Weturnedand
Forseveralmomentswhenweturnedwegathered
Inmorphation
Thedoorsweregone
Therewereplacesoflightsinplacesoflights
STATUS
We were all seeking
more in formation on morphology
we wanted faces with names
we wanted names with faces
O to be both recognizable and a bit of an identity dervish.
It is a pleasure
to be informed
to be in good form facing each other
to recognize patterns of shade and light
to gravitate toward the details
the little dimple so unique
the crow’s feet
all your wonky teeth
your zany hairline
how you look at your best;
And when you splinter on some retail camera
clutching contraband, we have
to repost.
TH PLACE OF LIGHT
Interesting 2 view over th past selves market
self. Something about belonging – 2 b specific n
unflinching – performed. 2 vie against ourselves 4 our
first stirrings – 2 sort out whose hands held
th weapon. Babez :
’
) speaking 2 u as if
th mirror-glass – leaps, lets conscience breathe –
accompanies without
th cordial stickiness of each other, that attention-onus –
one was mistaken, 4 it was really quite fun.
Well, we edit an allowable waft sick with
fear – one visit will have 2 do – 2 persist in sequence
elone.
Mounds
No,
u
 r th bad friend.
Hannah,
Girls
MORNING SONG
Cold side walk
Acdd eikl losw
Acddei kllosw
Wake hard dawn
Aaad dehk nrww
Aaadde hknrww
Aaaa cddd deeh ikkl lnor swww
Aaaacd dddeeh ikklln orswww
Wwwsro nllkki heeddd dcaaaa
Crow call ache / soon step past
Aacc cehl lorw / aeno opps sstt
Aaaccc eehlln oooppr sssttw
Wttsss rppooo nllhee cccaaa
Poor rain morn / wake slow cold
Aimn nooo prrr / acde kllo osww
Aacdei kllmnn ooooop rrrsww
Wwsrrr pooooo nnmllk iedcaa

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