Substitution

How much of my memory is substitution?

for when I cement absolution

I personally mix the mortar for skullmasonry

How much hazy film have I restored?

          embellished?

                          painted over with questionable colours?

                  Have I bewitched our relation

                  with the curse of distortion?

                   while I bewitch you with

                   my case and anger?

I drag my history books through relentless rainstorms

                   from shelter to shelter

                  I wash the pages of mold

                  blurring the cursive

                  abstracting the facts from the richness of aspect

How much of this legacy is carpentry?

How much of past is propaganda?

How many layers of self simulation sediment

                                 must I strip away?

        ...and are each encouraging or impediment?

               

 

Reviews

[Jason Kish]

Fantastic questions and brilliant word choice. The opening line really dragged me in. It made me think about a passage I read once from Fredric Jameson's Postmodernism: The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, where he compares contemporary culture to a changing television set.

"I drag my history books through relentless rainstorms
from shelter to shelter
I wash the pages of mold
blurring the cursive
abstracting the facts from the richness of aspect"

These were my favorite lines. I feel awkward critquing your work because it's really good. I kind of wanted to know more about the relationship with the person the speaker addresses in these lines:

"Have I bewitched our relation
with the curse of distortion?
while I bewitch you with
my case and anger?"

But, it returns to the fact that they aren't sure either. And it ends with more questions. Haha. I read it like three times looking for some kind of answer. So, I like it the way you have it.

Really great work.

[Gandré]

history was made by the victors. the information never is totally honest, perhaps in Canada or Finland.. not here and not in U.S,. and not in the rest of the world very sensitive writing, when you ask what makes progress difficult and how one has to see the past. true is, it was: it isn't anymore. great piece.

[Sam]

I like this, I think we are all guilty of embellishing the truth from time to time.

[robin]

Voracious with your pen brushing words into the waste basket. Don't look to see the contracts signed for deeds done. Whose signature is the secret society hiding out from in this or any other era. Whose version is truer than the meekest victor. The heroes of rhetoric will win pie eating contests, and the pies will be made from their broken records. Bang On!

[Yvonne Heidt]

Wow. I had to read this a few times. This is brilliant. I know that MY mind does these things, but I didn't know anyone else's did also. You have done an excellent job.

150%

[INSURGENT*76]

you might be a genius

[TL Boehm]

smart words. We certainly are not objective in our memories. Well written.

[The Musings of Mary H.]

Bravo! I love your use of words. When we do we get to see more work from you?