TEACH THE FREE MAN HOW TO PRAISE

Nov 30

Nov 28

Nov 26

(Swans, "failure")

I’ll cut up my time into two seperate pieces.
In one place, I’m someone I don’t know.
In the second place I don’t remember my name.
I’ll maintain control: I’ll imitate you perfectly.
Now nothing’s there: you win.
My flesh hangs loose on my bones,
I’m old, I’m poisoned.
I feel everything at once.
Now throw me out the window.
Watch me fall.
I’ll try to remember if I’ve ever been here before.
I can’t remember.
I’ll imitate everything around me perfectly.
Time will always win.
It’s poison.
I’ve never loved you.
I was never here.
I remember what it felt like to take a deep breath, then exhale, then forget
what I had just done.
I was never here.
I’ll imitate everything around me.
Perfectly.

Andrew Phelps

Nov 24

(Biss)

I’m trying to explain something to him and he cuts off my last word to say, “Let’s go in.” So I slam the car door and he sighs. Sitting at the bar in the diner, with our legs dangling off the stools, we can’t look at each other and we can’t look at the truckers, the teenagers in booths, or up at the waitress. His cup of coffee sits in front of him and he can’t pick it up. I finger my place mat and can’t say anything. I move to get up, but he catches my arm, still not looking at me, and says, “We came all the way here, now let’s enjoy it.”

Helen Levitt