early modern
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i labour with the season in my spirit
Good morning: I thought I’d share a bit of the evolution of a poem this morning. In the process of drafting this up, I googled images of Early Modern European peasant women: This poem is the composite sketch of those women. The image that’s linked provide the eyes that are translated from the visual to Continue reading
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before it could be read
before it could be readfrom ambassadors’ letters to norway to poland to the emperor everywhere that his nearly old mother’s newly widowed orbefore there’s time for uncle claudius to walkmother gertrude on his arm in the garden to walk ‘til her smile suns through the rain of her tearsand she becomes again beautiful desireable‘til the Continue reading
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before you fold
before you foldthat parchment into a padlockslit a keyhole into the end that’sunfolded with a pen knife or a scissor cutfrom the bottom of the letter a parchment keyshort in height and wide in width a triangle Continue reading
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ask nora if you can watch
ask nora if you can watchher unbind the ribbons unwindif you can watch her unbraidask if you can describeher hair as gilded silvertell her the sky’smade of filaments of spun goldthat it’s rooted in her headthat out of her head growsgilded heaven askif you can watch her hair fallcascade down the length of herlike a Continue reading
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say you carried your candlelight
say you carried your candlelightat mid day meal tomorrowtell yunger yours was the window into the dark the cave dark inside of the predawn lined with velvet black velvetsay you know the hand that carries the nightcarried the dying of the fire in the fireplace and the firelightin the windows of the duke’s manor house Continue reading
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tomorrow when the sun is still in its seed
tomorrow when the sun is still in its seedbefore the seed cracks and the first lightsprouts then spreads like a sudden vinetoward dusseldorf and cologne tomorrowremain blind as a mole ratthough the voice of the nightjarrestores your hearing and the song of the robin cures your senses remain blinddusk yourself back into dreamdusk yourself deaf Continue reading
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the prince’s mother
the prince’s motherthe elector’s widowjohann of brandenberg who’sappointed regent over saxonyhe adores herand his adoration tolerateswhat proclamations she issues from dresden Continue reading
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you learn solitude
you learn solitudeyour classmates all are like older unclesi haven’t read anywhere that the soul has shutters that swing open nor have i heard anywherethat it has doorsyour peers when they strolluphill the street to market squaredown lane through the meadowwhen they wade from the grassshores of the elbe into the shallowswhen the light of Continue reading
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these two fingers
these two fingersi asked that you place themhere on your wrist like thisyour liver turnsyour banquet into blood i saidit ebbs upriver through your arteries to your heart i askedif you could feel it ebb from your heartupstream through your veinsyou said you couldyour heart’s in good health i saidnow you sayit’s not that heart Continue reading
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(the horatio monologues) xx
robbers and the rulersof the domains through which you’d gothey watch the roads for passing fortunes they can seizeor for fortunate people they can spend on a ransom rather than four guilders paid at the first of each of the five months that followpay for the first three months when he signsand for the last Continue reading
About Me
I have a day.
Jake's Flea Market 