Beloved the Aardvark
The letters horizontal
or vertical f l o a t before
your eyes
a black line shapes itself
spells out the first noun in
an english dictionary
with a forefinger and thumb
spells out A a r d v a r k
an animal from Africa
body of data data of body
rabbitlike ears a long cylindrical
tongue
the tail of a kangaroo
nocturnal burrowing a member
of the mammalian order
made of the parts
of different animals lay your hand
feel the bones under the skin
*
The universe contains
everything that exists letters
that spell out
r u i n s c a p e
end to end long strings
of words blinking in and out
as the universe contracts
e x p a n d s
across the twenty-first century
mounds of sand appear
disappear
always the Aardvark moves
in circles moves in circles
in the here and now
swaying side to side
massive the claws digging
searching
work is a binding obligation
a jaw opens and closes
carnal/spiritual
*
On a computer screen
reflections of water metal glass
bouncing radio waves
black lines form letters
precise methodical long strings
of words vertical/horizontal
words detached from
the course of events planned
or spontaneous patterns
spirals of wind and fire
zigzags of black and white lines
layers of brown dust
biomorphic geomorphic
polymorphic slashes slashes
of solar light
earth air fire water
motionless the Aardvark
stands listening blood in
blood out
*
Press button to see
Science and Art of creating
archetypal scenes
come into being
long ago an hour ago
only a minute
known and unknown shapes
the flesh of the apple the dome
of a human skull
a mushroom cloud
each successive image
signs and wonders earth air
fire water
motionless the Aardvark
stands listening blood in
blood out
*
Press button to see
a bucolic setting grape vines
olive groves
fields of sunflowers
white the summer blossoms
a wedding party
the bride and groom pale
and red his lips her breast vein
as thick as a finger
out of his mouth
protrudes his tongue cinnamon cumin
honey and salt
lines of insects appear
disappear tendons and nerves
pulsate
a flow of hormonal forces
blood in blood out the universe
contracting
e x p a n d i n g
an outline shapes itself
playful the unborn babe in its
amniotic sac
*
Always the Aardvark
moves in circles moves in circles
in the here and now
earth air fire water
moves in circles swaying
side to side rhythmic the blood
the months in a year
disease famine torture war
mounds of sand appear disappear
massive the claws
digging searching long ago
an hour ago
only a minute
*
On a warm day in spring
a woman plays a harpsichord
the lid painted with scenes
of mythological animals
known and unknown shapes
nocturnal solitary
black zigzags
appear disappear motionless
the Aardvark stands
listening a jaw opens
and closes audible inaudible
the sound of the predator
lay your hand
feel the bones under the skin
carnal/spiritual
Next to a wall
of concrete stands a man
covered with tattoos
orange yellow green
astrological signs etched into
his skin
tendons and nerves
drink color his hand balled
into a fist
a fringe of drool
and blood circles the mouth
his lips move
a secret tribal language
then he counts
the months in a year his thumb
and forefinger moving
back and forth along a wall
‘who eat up my people as they
eat bread’
*
Morning to evening
evening to morning audible
inaudible
the rhythm the rhythm
of spontaneous changes sunlight/
blackness
blinking in and out
piles of sand appear
disappear audible inaudible
the sound of digging
digging deeper
precise methodical searching
always the Aardvark
moves in circles moves in circles
in the here and now
swaying side to side
piles of sand appear
disappear work is a binding
obligation
suffer the Aardvark children
*
Out of an ant hill
a waft of air lovely the ant hill
curved like an embrace
*
Rays of sunlight
penetrate the roof of your skull
warming your back
warming your hands
and fingers holding a piece
of charcoal
drawing zigzags of
black lines tendons nerves
ligament
spirals of veins pulsate
blood in blood out
*
On a concrete wall
lit up by fluorescent light
vibrating particles
shape the contours of an animal
the face of the Aardvark
is its parts the eyes nose
and mouth
the cylindrical tongue
the long ears
heating to the temperature
of human skin
*
Pale and red
the mouth of a child eating
an apple
a montage of bite marks
your hand balled into a fist
*
Press button to hear
morning to evening evening
to morning
a s o u n d s c a p e
of everlasting duration
evening to morning morning
to evening
out of the digital age
a course of events
the scientific explosive realm
across
the twenty-first century
*
Press button
to hear a musical interval
in the afternoon
sipping Umbrian wine
tearing off the wing
of a roast pigeon a musical
montage
evoking the rhythm
the rhythm of spontaneous changes
Louis Armstrong’s
“Black and Blue”
a Bach cantata Native American flutes
Buddhist chants singing dolphins
Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again”
*
You turn in
the direction of a voice
spelling out a word
A m f a t t e h r
a voice repeating
an unknown word motionless
the Aardvark
stands listening
a voice repeating spelling
out a word
A m f a t t e h r
made of the letters
of a noun drawing zigzags
of black lines
horizontal/vertical
a piece of charcoal
held with fingers and thumb
body of data
data of body
an animal from Africa
a member
of the mammalian order
*
Mounds of sand
appear disappear massive
the claws digging
searching
long ago an hour ago
only a minute
the universe contracts e x p a n d s
disease famine torture war
rhythmic a flow
of hormonal forces blood in
blood out
disease famine torture war
the Aardvark
comes out in daylight to lie
in the sun
Evolution is smart
clean clear and simple gaps
in the sequence of
events laid down and eroded away
hungry or thirsty
eat or drink body of data
data of body
audible inaudible
the rhythm the rhythm of
spontaneous change
letters spell out
o b l i t e r a t e
a jaw opens and closes
carnal/spiritual
vigilant the babe sucking
*
On a giant computer
screen vibrating subatomic
particles shape
the contours of a skull
and in your
mammalian brain tendons
and nerves pulsate
craving licking
burning chunks rupturing flesh
cinnamon cumin and honey
five lambs
slaughtered for the feast
carnal/spiritual
*
Under an occult sky
of greens and yellows the tattoo
artist bites into an apple
chewing and swallowing
moisture and nutrients flow in
the tattoo artist’s brain
seized with jittery energy
chewing and swallowing
inhaling exhaling a layer of skin
the skin
a montage of bite marks
chewing and swallowing
inhaling exhaling the breath blowing
kisses along the digestive tract
spirals of veins
pulsate from mouth to rectum
blood in blood out
seized with jittery energy
chewing and swallowing
inhaling exhaling drawing zigzags
of black lines
a layer of skin the skin
the canvas absorbing sunlight
inhaling exhaling
drawing zigzags
of black lines drawing a fetal skull
sprouting tooth buds
the universe
contains everything that exists
letters that spell out
r u i n s c a p e
*
After waking
and lying down trust your
instinctual senses
disturbingly informative
tears mucus
albumen a goat smile
on your lips
*
Long ago
an hour ago only a minute
in the here and now
in the zone
diverging from a course
of events
spirals of wind and fire
layers of brown dust
*
Out of an ant hill
curved like an embrace
a waft of air
and morning
to evening and evening
to morning
audible inaudible
an unknown word letters
that spell out
A m f a t t e h r
*
The bones that form
the Aardvark Venus rays of light
penetrate your fingers
drawing black lines
spirals of muscles blood vessels
a long cylindrical tongue
biomorphic geomorphic
polymorphic corkscrews of white
smoke
slashes slashes of solar light
*
Long ago an hour ago
only a minute a black line
shapes itself
an image on a rock
subatomic particles pulsate
the universe contracts
e x p a n d s
*
The warmest of mothers
moves in circles massive her claws
digging searching
body of data data
of body the Aardvark Venus
her rabbitlike ears
heating to the
temperature of human skin
a long cylindrical tongue
work is a binding obligation
blood in blood out
her breast vein as thick as a finger
mounds of sand appear
disappear
lines of ants appear disappear
a hissing sound
suffer the Aardvark children
*
Listening to Willie Nelson
you witness a lovely desert sunset
a goat smile on your lips
mounds of sand appear
disappear and morning to evening
evening to morning
9 breakfasts 5 lunches 6 dinners
white the summer blossoms
a girl in your arms hungry or thirsty
eat and drink
*
On the wall of a cave
in the Sahara in a zone diverging
from a course of events
disease famine torture war
in a sacred refuge or a tomb
Behold! the Aardvark Venus
luminous the overlapping
charcoal drawings charcoal fed
with wind and fire
charcoal fed with blood and sunlight
*
Earth Air Fire Water
hormonal forces evoke
the rhythm of spontaneous change
inhaling exhaling
moisture and nutrients
flow through your mammalian brain
inhaling exhaling
the universe contracts e x p a n d s
seized with jittery energy
inhaling exhaling
flexing contracting evoking
the rhythm
the rhythm of spontaneous change
disease famine torture war
rays of light
penetrate your vulva scrotum
sphincter
illuminate your heart
your hand cupping the little god
mounds of sand appear
disappear
out of an ant hill curved
like an embrace
Earth Air Fire Water
To look at the image of an Aardvark is to take a cosmic Rorschach test,
and like a cubist mural is both a microcosm and macrocosm.
You understand intuitively – a Cartesian resolution of body and spirit.