texts that change the conscious parameters of literature, both for readers and writers. from a different angle than these, r.p. blackmur adds: 'poetry: [is] ...language so twisted and posed in a form that...it adds to the stock of available reality.' formerly edited by peter ganick. send texts to Volodymyr Bilyk at ex.ex.lit@gmail.com for consideration...
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Rachel Barns - I'm all about reciting the alphabet like big bird
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Brennan Burnside - Basement: the first week of December
December 1
1982 Office Depot stainless-steel pair of left-handed
scissors, 8” ground blades, dark brown droplets along edge
of each blade, 1 cm ring of rust around pivot screw, both
bows wrapped in duct tape.
December 2
Three 2” tall molded glass Mason jars in northwest
corner of room placed vertically along wall, brass-colored
lid on each jar, jars farthest from northwest corner
contain mulberry-colored substance, jar directly against
corner absent hermetic rubber seal contain mulberry
substance in bottom half and dark green substance in
top half, all jars labeled “summer 2008”.
December 3
1’X3’X2’ corrugated box in southeast corner,
box flaps open, broken pre-printed ULINE
masking tape from middle of left side to
left flap and right to middle of right flap of
box, tape has repeated design of red hexagon
with word “STOP” in white Arial font in center
of hexagon followed by red Arial font ”IF SEAL
IS BROKEN CHECK CONTENTS BEFORE
ACCEPTING”, water damage along bottom of
box reaching up 0.5” on each side of box, box
empty except for 384 granules of silver glitter.
December 4
Lilac, blue and purple polyvinyl chloride tinsel,
each 17”X1”, tinsel curled into small cone of
three levels against plaster wall 5’ south of
center of basement, each tinsel level a different color
with purple on bottom, blue in middle, lilac on top,
0.10” of bright red tinsel fluff resting in lilac tinsel.
December 5
Porcelain white Crane cast iron sink on floor, no faucet,
no knobs, three holes with abrasion on sink top, 1’
backsplash with 7” hairline fracture beginning at sink top,
bowl of sink 6”X42”, 1/2 cm width ring of rust around
keyhole-shaped center hole on sink top, olive green cladosporium
growing from empty hole in center of bowl, no drain.
December 6
12” brass rod with black rubber tips on
each end in center of room laying on
side point both north-north east and
south-south west, two .02” deep dents
in center of rod, dents .02” apart, scuff
marks on left rubber tip.
December 7
Circle of sixteen E26 incandescent 120-volt
quartz light bulbs, shards of two smashed E27
incandescent 230-volt light bulbs and bright
red tinsel fluff in center.
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Andrew Macdonald - Of Khlebnikov I & III
i
It is that sound commands logic blocked,
inverts conundrums
their stalemates opining—
mere surfaces a placed dream conducts
to ornament that hungry want
of newness language does.
But with these scores,
their dictions of no purpose,
are hand-outs of bills soft contesting
the crack in the conscious
mind combats of
when it’s found the
energy wielding best of conditions.
Now it is hate purports what
harm we’ve done them
our forced machinations assenting
the grammared will
of poetry alone
its power made dulcet.
***
iii
Silence connotes held-in fears,
unuttered notations
rinsing the back of the mind
wet with intending.
Its sounds convulse
if put to paper,
form parcel teased of
as when what
should not be spoken
gets graphemed on palettes
of numbered worlds
our thoughts pertain them.
And then what builds
is denuded of whispers
(those careful breaths contriving)
to grow a talking flesh
its fast from life renounced on
this scaffold of higher truths
sense of force brings with.