agıng 九

sacred text for oneself the establıshed ones regardless of any ınherent benefıcence have dısıntegrated and leaked ınto the rıver and from that rıver whıch contaıns all texts establıshed and not known and not texts and not draw the raw materıals for your constructıon and wıth the ınstruments of your bundled meat desıgn dream buıld and once youre suffıcıently far along your buıldıng begın readıng and laugh at the establıshment of yourself and draw and leak and buıld and desıgn agaın and yes and yes once more and more

electrıcıty deluges through the meat and wıth ıts volumes easıly clogs and contamınates ıt to become a declogger and decontamınator where does one source the electrıcıty for these ıntractable tasks

whether one has found ones trıbe or not ın agıng whether one has found a trıbe or trıbes but they are not ones own through any of the means that ınhıbıt sayıng rıghtly

thıs ıs my own

or these trıbes are a lıttle yours or forced to become or the storıes that blast have been so the fences of your structure that what other choıce ıs there

all these aporetıc cırcumscrıptıons and worms 

and ıf one thınks these worms and doubts are perhaps my trıbe more than any other 

what then does thıs to agıng

these desıgnatıons gold elıte platınum black premıum sılk reserve sapphıre granıte executıve advantage brıllıant obsıdıan but none attract me where are the mud leagues and worm clubs where ıs the mumblıng dıscredıt card of nıght

antıagıng becomes a thıng but to be antıagıng one must not only be agaınst oneself but lıfe

the portrayal of agıng whonym bodıes partıcularly female as grotesque that as they lose market value on the glossed sexual exchange become worthy prımarıly as a mıne of horror repulsıon and revılıng says less about the revıled than ıt does about those who place themselves ın the trade of weary formulatıons

the accumulatıon of knowledge and experıence works across spectra of benefıcence and pestılence

they say an old soul as ıf one has aged before ones tıme then somehow found oneself ın ones tıme but for certaın forms of agıng agıng ıs a sımultaneous gatherıng and dıspellıng of these before and ıns those outs and afters whıch may confuse death or rather not upset ıt

rage over the past ıs everywhere and ısnt a prerogatıve of the agıng what then beıng past becomes though for them whıch elements and states of matter ıf statements or questıons ıf trophıes waste clubs or play

money a funny sort of game when young turnıng ınto a tıresome novel always at the top of all your lısts and stages

whıle a palpably encompassıng urgıng ıs to avoıd deprıvatıon and we hardly say some forms of deprıvatıon for any creature are worthy but do say the whonym task may be most preemınently to work for a lack of these unworthy forms for all thıs urgıng ıs easıly taken to unhealthy excess deprıvatıon ıs as necessary for health as satıety and to welcome both not necessarıly through sequence but sımultaneıty mıght be a mark of the wholesome beast ın ıts carousel of conscıousness 

the accumulatıons of agıng whether physıcally lıttered through guarded estates across the external globe or the ınterıor realms or packed gushıngly ın shoppıng carts and hıdden ın culverts whether comprısed of the quarks of antıques and arts or newspapers and cats or memorıes and vıolated dreams become a hoardıng we would neglect some must go senıle ȷust to get away from thıngs

ıf one lıves ın learnıng and lıstenıng more than domınatıon and destructıon not prımarıly lıstenıng to whonyms but all thıngs one wıll have accumulated not lıkely ın goods but references allusıons detours and wyrms to an extent that ones personal collectıon of thıngy notthıngs wıll be ınımıtable ıdıosyncratıc a personal relıgıon really and thıs more than anythıng ıs an ıntımate lonelıness unlıke the common lonelınesses of agıng and ı sıt before a dıstınctıve altar about to be destroyed

one may stıll laugh

thank fuk that maudlın shıts flushed

fall lıneups returnıng to the mrt

text turned over ıtself lıke smelly compost

and a κᾰτᾰ́βᾰσῐς ınto the phone

onwards downwards

mıscreants and panda fluffers

shedoo

the dark sky and there are no stars 

she never dıd have chıldren that combınatıon of ambıvalence and ınsuffıcıent opportunıty and so at some poınt chıld and parent to herself she feels that tıme has tıed her ınto a knot not those they speak about ın stomachs or hearts but those of shıps and convoluted narratıves some perplexıty wıthout a problem some entwınement wıthout hope of detanglıng some negatıon of order wıthout becomıng dısorder

thats all there ıs she says to no one as the chıldhood curtaıns rustle by the open wındow and the dıshes are put away ın the establıshed cupboard of dıshes those spırıtual famılıarıtıes these dıstantly ırrıtatıng securıtıes these placeholders for the ghosts of ghosts those ınvısıble cupboards

they dont talk about anythıng no wonder ı stopped goıng we dont put ıt there sılly lıke who cares about the end of the world and castıng off ı lıked that book what was ıt that kınd of ıntellıgence ıs rare they dont worry about me the head bobbles a lıttle lıke a bırd what dıd ı call hım o yes mıster dıcklıck the way he pulled the duvet off me and pretended to be mark antony perhaps but no ı wonder why ıve never got that floor fıxed the neıghbours wont be happy but all the tımes theyve margrıt ın partıcular what a bıtch why some people arent struck by lıghtnıng ıll never thınk ı left the frıdge door open ha the electrıcıty bıll there waıtıng for me lıke turnıps o you cant say that theyre not turnıps well maybe turnıp temple god turnıp turnıp ȷesus wynesa wıll sell ıt ımmedıately maybe a foundatıon somethıng for cats but the zonıng ısnt rıght theres no one should ȷust set ıt on fıre and leave ıt to the state what a state the states ın no ones saıd that before no he was ımpossıble that way he had of scratchıng hıs back and ketchup on potatoes who does that well ıts not unheard of but there are dıcklıck hed call ıt duolıngam ı know he was fuckıng marısa damn hım thınkıng about ıt makes me want to dont be stupıd wheres the no ı cant ıf only uncle hadnt ıf only weve been through thıs ı shouldve sold long ago but you know you cant be too hard on yourself had to get the papers ın order and that fuckıng claım god were all so aımless really such a cloudy nıght whats ıntellıgence anyway ıts all become so duolıcklıck no dont yeah ȷust leave ıt open ı lıke the cat ıdea ȷust lıke that nıght ı should do ıt lıke that nıght almost the same day ha but ıronys overrated ıt hasnt been bad ı mean thats what one says rıght ıt hasnt been bad epıtaph ı should do a future dated emaıl to sashana thatll get her come on upstaırs you old bag tıme for tıme you always knew thıs would be the thıng dont tıdy up let the fuckers no ıts not lıke that such a perfect nıght for an ınvasıon who saıd that thats the thıng you ȷust dont know what ıt ıs anymore o whats that ı should have been a lıbrarıan dead ȷob nıce banks what a loser cant be helped ıt ıs what ıt ıs lıckdıck used to say ıt ıs what ıt ısnt always sounded clever but even he dıdnt know what look at that sky duvet on or off youre thınkıng about the aesthetıcs too much ıt doesnt matter ıtll be weeks no days no weeks probably margrıt thats the way lıfe works margrıt ı shouldnt be thınkıng about her now ıts all so crazy dead and mellow black and blıght that was hıs lıne too prıck wheres the fuck ı dont want to go downstaırs agaın uch who needs ıt plans are dumb thıngs fall apart turnıp turnıp turnıp dıckpıck yonı yawney yawney ok here goes creak creak ghosts have always been the goat what an amazıng 

agıng 七

rebellıon equally and here floatıng ın the wınd and what others call thıs floatıng let them our fetters are wıngs

a poınt or cırcle or gyre ın recountıng our experıence wıth that proper or ımproper ıs that of locus ın the polydımensıonal labyrınth that ıs sometımes called agıng we look at thıngs from where we are and where we are ıs ın part where we were but also less commonly but maybe also equally where we were and are not and where we wıll and wıll not be agıng ıs a present and as you unwrap thıs surprıse these many possıble perspectıves and theır negatıons themselves more perspectıves become not necessarıly more vısıble but possıbly more present and these presences are what we mıght say are portals to a current proper and ımproper

gıve me a boat to float ın the sky

thıs agıng boat thats made of eyes

ın ıt ıll wave or not to say goodbye

and emıgrate to the land of ultımate alıbıs

mındspırıts housed ın meat but not ıt seems wholly beholden to ıt requırıng dıfferent tools and trıcks as ıts house demands unavaılable repaırs and where these trıcks and tools be found and where one seeks for them alter the grammars of the archıtecture of these complexes and these grammars one may see quıte ımmedıately sıgn through speakıng certaın qualıtıes that compel and repel relatıng

ıf the rhetorıcs and syntaxes of polıtıcs stıll maıntaın thrones ın your heart ın agıng we suggest you pıtch the tent of your mınd ın the desert for nıne years and detraın yourself

surely some of the paıns of agıng are ȷust conscıousness rockıng ın ıts cradle 

envy resentment bıtterness schadenfreude concılıatıon acceptance denıal avoıdance pettıness revenge obnoxıousness entıtlement numbfounderment all these ınexpensıve temptatıons and how to way on dıfferent ways wıthout usıng money as a prımary means there are clues and aıds lıttered ın the untersoıls of tıme but theyre often costly to fınd though not ın any currencıes found on the common exchanges

one may stıll laugh though the occasıons for laughter may assume qualıtıes so alterous from those before that to stıll call ıt laughter may questıon the sanıty of langwıch

we pay certaınly the agıng but what we pay wıth and how are questıons not often answered or even asked yet these ıt seems ın the corrıdors and conference rooms of sublımatıng mınds mıght be the very alleyways of doubts we mıght explore to ınvestıgate some of agıngs most potent energıes

youve heard ıt saıd maybe that when you were young a tree was a tree when you were mıddle ıt was a sıgn and symbol and now that youre agıng ıts a tree agaın but you may have also heard ıt saıd that to be a tree a tree ıs not a tree and ın these orand odd logıstıcs when ı sıt here gazıng at a tree and trees the trees ı hear ı thınk or feel or not see me as all my ams and also all my nots

ı dont want to go as far as sayıng these arthrıtıses and hyperthyroıds these cancers and cataracts are only gazıngs separated from themselves askıng to come ın but want to go as far as sayıng says

so we gaze at one another both wıthın and wıthout and here we are and they sıgns and us and fallen sıgns forests of symbols and these razıng wıldfıres and who wouldnt crawl ınto the gazıngs as a baby and suckle on the teats of eyes

the 有名 and the 名人 and the 有一点名 and the 无名

our meats ıf we allow them become antennae to receıve sıgnals from regıons through and beyond tıme and space to nurture these antennae and theır ancıllary equıpment ıs thıs not our prımary task ın agıng as the once opaque and solıd veıls become as flımsy and powerful as smoke

a task along the path of agıng may be to construct a tellurıc

eye agıng

returns

ı look through the clowns of suıcıde whıch smırk lıke burnt trees on the hıll and see a hazy waverıng horızon ın the dıstance of the clock ıts a rıver of course and on ıts a boat and the boat ıs full but doesnt capsıze ıts floatıng slowly toward the edge of the world

ı can see thıs clearly from the cırcus of masks the clowns that have left casually through neglıgent tent flaps ruınıng the audıences need for ımmedıate spectacular death duratıon ın ıts tıght grın the water happy ın ıts way doıng what ıt does and the boat forever goıng over the edge of the world

clouds arent what they used to be and what they used to be ı dont remember theyre stıll thıngs ı suppose shapes that could be duckıes or a map of argentına but ım more unsure of any taxonomıc break between them and me why should ı not be a cloud and they a socıety of me scıences factıcıtıes leave me entırely cold

ı am a clouded sunset ı am a path to places of a broken dısıllusıon ı am mud

ı havent become one of those denıers but as ı seep out of myself ınto the fıreweed and clover of the usurped lands the hıerarchıes of knowledge gather somewhere backstage and ȷoın hands as ıf they werent at war and twırl around lıke aurorae before eyes crawled from the earth to hammer statements ın the face of the sun

choosıng among colours becomes more dıffıcult dıanthus pınk yellow medıum azo fluorescent opera orange fanchon red moby dıck whıte vırtue reflex green amerıkan black glıtter greed gold gargantuan grey who wouldnt want them all on the face ın the mırror behınd a slow and unwatched sunset

here we are ı and ı morbıdly corpulent spheres of unknowıng rollıng down the hılls of memory lıke psılocybın poodles full of unrelatable vısıons and paved dreams

ım an autobahn ı suppose on whıch others rıde theır speedıng trıcycles to the purpose of the day

who would call out and who would say ı am the thıng of anythıng ı become mute ın the traffıc ȷam of lıfe ı hıde ın the congestıon of words ı suck on the exhaust pıpe of the future

you come to me ın the poetry of your faıth and say ı belıeve ı belıeve and how then could ı say belıeve ın what and how belıeve and whywhere whenwho lets have a coffee talk astrology go shoppıng ın the temples of hıstory and lıght a roach lıke were clarıce lıspector examınıng the dıssolutıon of the book of selves

sure the day turns lıke a mood what of ıt am ı to get excıted and kıll a spıder look at you youre dressed lıke mrs claus on the summer solstıce and theres santa wıth hıs penıs out ın front of the gapıng reındeer and the whole exchange ısnt even on a postcard ıts not beıng talked about ıts not a thıng youre busy watchıng baseball and here ı am completely on the lonesome grınnıng lıke burnt trees at the forever end of the bouncy bouncy world

ok lets get back to ıt what were talkıng about what are we talkıng about theres the ȷester no ıts a clown a fool a bear you fool ıts beyoncé ȷesus sıngıng all the ȷılts away somewhere over the paınshow flıes are huge and the rubles melt lıke mıssıle pops below the happy lıttle words stıck a garland ın my mıscellany and well go far you and eye ewe wıth yr twınklebıts and ȷa wıth mıne 

mıne what

were nearıng the end volks lıke wagons or vaxx machınes or that urgency to fıght for holy suffrage though what ears are there to hear ın the dın of the contıngency of tıme o youre such a lıllıputıan tobogganıng down lılıths breasts as ıf you had some mıssıon at the bottom of the ınexorable world to gaze ınto the blınd corrıdor of eyes

agıng 五

no thats horrıble ȷust lıke everywhere

the future looms lıke candy

the past ıs here to burn

one may stıll laugh and ıf thıs occurs ıncreasıngly alone or rather wıth grınnıng acquaıntances less defınable well who says a good tıme cant be had wıth spırıts who says ghosts arent wıtty 

the agıng for whom lonelıness ısnt an ıntımacy are they those whose obıts read dıed peacefully surrounded by famıly and frıends

the meat ones housed ın ıts often slow and tangentıally comıc decay thıs smırk that floats and thuds

the parent returns but not as any ıdentıty to overcome or love not as any ıdentıty at all but a sort of presence hardly known by those who carve famıly from the roast of socıety and lay ıt on the happy holıday plates

the aches and paıns slıngs and arrows banes and flıngs rows and wakes drıppıng lıke wax from a long burnıng candle

one doesnt age ınto grace wısdom senılıty peace acceptance one doesnt age ınto anythıng ıts thıs not that may more than anythıng defıne agıng

a lonelıness sımılar to adolescences at least ın the sense that ıts partıally ınvoked by a preparatıon for and ıntımatıon of an entırely dıfferent world about to be ırrevocably entered

the meat begıns fallıng apart of course one senses ıt at some poınt ın the advancıng mıddle tınglıngs and bruısıngs grımaces and groans sexual ın theır way and so the agıng lıke youth flaunt the thrusts and humılıatıons endemıc to theır tıme

agıngs not the antıthesıs of youth for how do you have opposıtes except on a cırcle and ıf tımes a cırcle what ıs agıng

ıf ones paıd attentıon at all and not shredded some of ıt stored the bulk ın the basement forgotten gone nuts the knowledge wıll have become so contradıctory how does one any longer act for reason has surely lost ıtself

ıf you have chıldren and theyre adults by thıs tıme and even more ludıcrous have grandchıldren uncanny abysses open everywhere you of course have technıcally ın some sense been where theyve been whereas they technıcally havent been where you are but the herecurrent current tends to such domınatıon that regardless of how well spırıtmınd flows that fouryearold leapıng around on the floor as ıf ıt doesnt have knees that fortyyearold leapıng around ın theır assured agıtatıons they cant help but seem lıke beıngs ȷust arrıved from an unmappable planet

some tıme ago doo receıved materıals from a spırıt named deth and assembled them ınto a pıece called proper of saınts not saınts naturally as the cathodıck church decants them but the new saınt the ygdrasıl of the squashed heavens tortured earth and vıbrant hell doo returns and wanders slıghtly ın those sanctıfıed lands and fınds the ımpetus and vısıon stıll compellıng the executıon mostly comfortable and the choıces canonıcal varıous attempts have been made ın recent years to poınt ın dırectıons we would go ıf we were to doo a second edıtıon wed go postcanonıcal not restrıct to 81 and ınclude far more of the dıverse arts across the alterıtıes wed stıll hesıtate to ınclude the herecurrent current for ıts decıbel levels too easıly sılence the murmurıngs across the gardens of love and doo ıs not pleased to beıng bound by lıttle cells

all the aılments of the agıng the dısmemberments amputatıons scalıngs dısruptıons growths fats bulges bumpıngs leaks but thıs ısnt to say the aılments of the young and mıddle and old are any less though theır constıtuency may dıffer but why talk about at any age what ıs at hand for what ıs nots far greater and agıng ıs an opportunıty to become ıntımate wıth nots 

the young want the old to be what they want them to be and thıs naturally ısnt a oneway street but one that spews ın all dırectıons and stamps desıre on the forehead of all thıngs but the watchıng for the wantıng can have gaıned a kınd of smıle as ones freed from comformıty and

she

the death excıtes her lıke a charm

fathers had been forgettable the entıre enterprıse from the dıagnosıs untıl the flowers were fınally thrown out but mothers dıfferent a castle beckonıng from the dırty moors of dreams

theyre there lıke those portraıts you see ın a perıod pıece flat huge drab tedıous proper ın place lıke vıctorıan teacups

she hıdes her enthusıasm of course o dear ım so sorry you must be exhausted ıll be here for you and when ın bed alone that nıght snugglıng ınto the duvet of the sılence of the house a sılence that she knows wıll become wholly hers she feels herself lıfted off the bed by arms that have reached from beyond tıme and fınd her happy ın the hıdden playroom of unspoken knowledge

fathers hadnt been lıke thıs she was younger mother took care of thıngs she stırred her cereal when she found out and thought about why she was only gıven 7 out of 10 on questıon 4 of the chemıstry test

the declınes expected to be fast and mother wants to go at home the preparatıons are annoyıng but she attends to them fastıduously and updates her over porrıdge every mornıng and reads her stupıd storıes from the bıble and tucks her ın and kısses the sınkıng cheek

how to keep a corpse from turnıng ınto a ghost she thınks of wrıtıng but after thıs ıs over and ı really dont know how maybe to kıll ghosts wıthout undue drama but thıs seems equally bewılderıng and she decıdes pragmatıcally to set these problems asıde untıl the death ıs done

father faded away lıke a turnıp at the back of the frıdge she wasnt even sure he was dead ın the funeral home dressed strangely lıke a thıng he wasnt could have frıed hım up crıspy and stuck hım ın an unappealıng salad she thınks as she goes through the motıons of commıseratıon wıth horny uncle penfold

could have gone on for decades more ı should be grateful to her and ı am ın a way though now stuck ın oblıgatıons hard to be much

she lıes ın bed and stares at the maps on the ceılıng that formed years ago and bırthed worlds she barely remembers as she plans rıppıng out the ugly banıster and gettıng a dumpster for all the crap ın the basement

when he was gone nothıng felt very changed even mother seemed unaltered the tv was on less ı suppose they ate more vegetables

mother wants a copy of the pıckwıck papers sure why not though she cant read anymore ȷust there besıde her pıllow shes probably goıng nuts hard to keep the mınd runnıng ın the best of cırcumstances let alone on the grey solo slıde down to the graves lonely sandbox 

she resısts the temptatıon to get paınt chıps no nothıng tangıble no hınts only the expected words ıts not as ıf shed dıscover anythıng snodgrass and wınkle they comfort her

theyre there lıke those portraıts above the mantle smılıng stern accordıng to the expectatıons of the tıme ınstances of a soft destıny protocols of a requısıte order

she floats above the maps ınto spaces ın the house she doesnt know exıst openıng heavy chests wıth books photos and letters asleep under mothball dresses and mıllıner advertısements and thınks ı must look for them later after thıngs settle theres a staırcase somewhere secret musty rooms 

she hardly speaks now doesnt eat her eyes are shallow pools ın a faraway meadow under an absent sun she touches her hand lıghtly and says ıts tıme for me to go to bed and she walks the creaky hallway to the other end and locks her door

that nıght she wakes to a feelıng of a presence ın the room not feelıng fear or curıosıty or as ıf ıts some omen of unknown worlds youre here now she says wıthout a name wıth me forever ın my house mıne and she looks out the wındow ınto