MADE FOR YOU AND ME 2: hive Being (Stanzas 2017—part 48)
Let's workshop this stanza sequence about the eroticism of Saint Teresa of Avila, sunspots, grubby cunnilingus, halal and kosher dietary laws, robots, whales, suicide, Foucault, sidewalk cigarettes
scent of the day: Terroni, Orto Parisi.—Fitting squarely in the gothic-vetiver genre (think: Encre Noir), Terroni—a derogatory term for rural Italians from the south (akin to our “redneck”)—reads like a second-rate Fumidus and yet (despite the whole being tainted by nose-blinding synthetics that can quickly choke out a room) still retains some standout features: Yatagan-reminiscent musky animalics, tarry labdanum, industrial mineralics, smokey leather from the guaiac wood and birch (even impressions of pimiento spice and raspberry syrup and creamed nuts)—these all helping to support a Vesuvian tableau (Mt. Vesuvius is one of the stated inspirations) of flowing lava and ashy precipitation in dinosaur times of fire and brimstone before flowers had evolved (or, perhaps more realistically, an automotive shop where a beleaguered secretary’s black-raspberry-vanilla air freshener battles the scent mélange of grease-stained coveralls long overdue for a wash especially in the ass-region, boot treads caked with moss and rooty earth, mineral spirits, exhaust fumes, scorched metal, bitter coffee left out for days, peanut and almond debris scatted across the floor, and overflowing ashtrays).
sunset sunspots, spoiling the perfection, long chalked up to hallucination the wise marry skepticism and wonder would the superficial throng be destroyed by what would rouse it to make history? he continued believing the despicable idea because his nation barred its expression poisoning ourselves in hope that the negatives will be dissipate before we do dead parents fully present in your head avalanches of memory from a smell suicide postponed through writing about it faith that you fear to lose deserves less than the title “faith” breaking robots to preserve jobs evanescent whale prints on the ocean surface forced to remove the headscarf for high-school debate team religious clerics, please update the kosher and halal list: swine, for example, should be back on the table (since refrigeration has neutered trichinosis) whereas Pop-Tarts—corn syrup, hydrogenated oils—are killing children his only angle into at least a fragment of friendship, he let the other playground kids subject him to clinical peeks and prods at all his weird features the risk of suicide in chasing out burrowed contagion: Jews in Spain, and then in Germany much more practiced at science than “men of science” is the African tribesman, inferring migratory patterns after scrupulous observations tracked over generations we are the play things of fate, but fate only plays with itself the flag’s hoist wire clinging against the metal pole in an ominous wind Frankenstein cigarettes of desperation rolled in a menthol-non-menthol mix from the resinous guts of street butts the phone psychic should open right away, before “hello” even, with “Well I know one thing about you for sure: you’re gullible!" silicon children of biologics throughout the universe it would seem are the ones more likely to propagate the message of their parents out into the stars detained for speaking a verboten language with your kids, tell the judge: “After our world victory” (as proof of your allegiance stress the “our”) “they will be the ones to convey orders to those who speak that tongue” mystics write for God alone, but does God really read? those for whom the obsession with death grows with age Foucault and Saint Teresa—linked in then (erotic) intensity with which they lived how could one avoid the pull— that pussy-slurping pull—of a bestial night with a mystic, unbathed, in her fever? if today’s death of silence were meant to kill your spirit, would you renounce it or roll with it through use of white noise?
The thematic fragments provided delve into the interwoven complexity of existential musings, societal critiques, and the profound human experiences that tether skepticism and wonder to the frailty of belief, identity, and mortality. Anchored in poetic intensity, these lines suggest a deep confrontation with the mechanics of history, individual autonomy, and the paradoxical human condition. They weave a tapestry where fleeting phenomena, such as "evanescent whale prints on the ocean surface" or "sunset sunspots, spoiling the perfection," coexist with enduring dilemmas like the search for purpose and the relationship between skepticism and faith.
The fragments traverse moral and historical critique, as seen in "the risk of suicide in chasing out burrowed contagion," evoking past tragedies like the Jewish expulsions and broader human tendencies toward destructive purges. They equally probe cultural dogmas, highlighted in "religious clerics, please update the kosher and halal list," where faith intersects with the evolution of knowledge. The critique of authority and systemic control is underlined in "detained for speaking a verboten language," underscoring the fragile balance between power and resistance in linguistic and cultural expression.
Existential themes recur throughout, with a preoccupation for memory, death, and the self. "Suicide postponed through writing about it" and "dead parents fully present in your head" evoke the unrelenting presence of grief and the ways humans attempt to process the void left by loss. Meanwhile, "faith that you fear to lose deserves less than the title ‘faith’" questions the strength of belief tethered to fear, offering a philosophical critique of how we define and sustain spiritual conviction.
Other fragments explore the potential alienation from societal norms and structures. "Breaking robots to preserve jobs" critiques the contradictions inherent in technological progress and human labor. "His only angle into at least a fragment of friendship" illustrates the often-painful negotiations of belonging and identity. Collectively, these lines highlight how human fragility and resilience manifest in both interpersonal and collective spheres, where the search for meaning frequently clashes with external realities.
The collection oscillates between sweeping cosmic perspectives, as in "silicon children of biologics throughout the universe," and intimate moments like "the flag’s hoist wire clinging against the metal pole in an ominous wind," drawing a connection between the vastness of existence and the minutiae of everyday life. Ultimately, this kaleidoscopic arrangement captures the profound paradoxes of human existence—our vulnerability, resilience, and enduring thirst for understanding in the face of both cosmic and personal obscurities.
existentialism, societal critique, belief, memory, mortality, identity, skepticism, faith, grief, cosmic perspective, human condition, technological progress, cultural dogmas, existential paradoxes, poetic intensity.