out through our eyes, a thing
amongst things / at the command
of words / blind to itself / it radiates
from a self / this world
of immanence
& ideality / its upheavals & turbulence
become ciphers
of the visible / a texture
of Being
// exhaled //
inside a space / of vision
& movement
of humans who speak
from a pre-spatial / world, intertwined
in the roots of being
this texture
between a hand / & another hand
not contained / a spectacle
of nothing
moving / but self-moving
it ignores
what is unknown / & we awaken
to an echo of bodies
the voices of light, soil
beneath our feet / shifting
& repeating
"we are the inside / of the outside / touching"
ourselvestouching
as a question
not of lines (there is no border
visible in itself) but the mind
enters these lines
as they pass / through us
& surround us / we see / but there is
no actual awakening
to hold / suspended / transformed
in a thought
this world
that demands things / of things
that are not in themselves / things
the plural x
of our operations / to substantiate
we enter into a reversibility
of dimensions
into a cultural regime / a thickness
of meaning
reduced to a set / of techniques
& data / a plane
that cannot be assigned
space
radiates onto a map
of the visible / transforms
a world / into things
where there is neither truth
nor falsehood
& no enigma
but that of the blinding
light / of visibility
forming shadows / a reflection / opened up
& so quickly closed
"the mind is an instrument that moves itself”
a metaphysics / of depth
that our eyes & hands
cannot discover
cannot discover
Dear Jim,
ReplyDeletebelieve it or not we have tried to write this message for, well, now almost a whole year. The reason is that we wanted to thank you for reading our novel 69 70, and for reading it the way you did: with an understanding and curiosity of a reader every writer would like to encounter. A lot has happened in the meantime – we left the US and are now living in Croatia where we started a retreat for writers (writers are welcome to stay at our place for free although we cannot at the moment cover the expenses for food and travel). Our web-site is, for now, only in Croatian www.zvonainari.hr
We wanted to let you know that beside Pablo, our publisher, you are the only reader of our novel that provided us with any (relevant) feedback – and we are grateful you have offered us the insight into your reading experience (an acknowledgment that most of the things we wanted to say actually came through).
Here in Croatia, many poets are feeling disappointed by the marginal position of their profession (or passion) in the society, especially since the support of the government is not abundant. Nevertheless, we personally believe that poetry can change the world for the better. A couple of weeks ago, we opened a small library too (free to all) here in Liznjan (a village of some 1500 people). Just across the library there is a resort of villas for sale to tourists. And people don’t stop asking: coming from America to start a library in time of economic crisis – isn’t that a bit insane? At the same time people are coming, borrowing and donating books, starting to discover a place where they can talk about books with no commercial pressure. So we finally got some time to thank properly.
We wish you and yours all best.
Natalija Grgorinić & Ognjen Rađen
PS: Sorry to be posting this on your blog but we were unable to get a hold of your email address.
I think many poets in America might mirror the frustrations of our Croatian counterparts, at least those of us who fall to the wayside of the American institution of sanctioned verse. But what I found really amazing about your book is the heights to which an unfettered pen (or pens, as the case may be) can really soar. I had intended to write a review of 69,70 and shop it around for publication. But, unfortunately, my own demons got in the way--I have little confidence in my ability to write either analytic or critical prose. That's all a self-induced illusion, though, so maybe today I'll take a look at the comments I forwarded to Pablo and give it another shot.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, thanks for the note. I don't think I've ever received a comment here or anywhere that meant more to me. And I would love to send a few books to your library. Its clear to me that efforts like your own really do make a difference, and I wish you all the best. Jim.
Dear Jim,
ReplyDeleteWe would very much like to have your books in our library. We have updated our web-site and it now offers information in English too: http://zvonainari.hr/?q=node/7
In any case, thank you for your effort.
Best,
Natalija and Ognjen