Beloved the Aardvark

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.

Selected Poems

Hermaphropoetics

from Solitary Workwoman

Part 3: Fire Clayfrom The Joe 82 Creation Poems

Selections fromI am the Babe of Joseph Stalin's Daughter

Not Be Essence That Cannot Be

Part 3: Fire Clay
from The Joe 82 Creation Poems

Selections from
I am the Babe of Joseph Stalin's Daughter