Thursday, January 21, 2010

when do we hear phorkyas' epilogue

i've known you in my life, o goethe
o poem sorcerer, pagan mystic,
du übersinnlicher sinnlicher freier,

i've known, i've read your silent direction
for poetic structure to tame the subject,
because ein Mägdelein can nasführet dich

this is what i tell myself: structure,
but i always break the rules
mostly cuz i like the way it feels

structure and subject
structure and form
now this is the author wearing the mask,
putting on the mask of poems and letting letters
create a world which is not,
but is very easy to believe in.

a cloud of poems,
the shroud of fiction,
a wig of lies—

he is called destroyer,
and liar, wearing a poodle's skin
the spirit of eternal negation
an excellent lutist, always talking,
(parlour trick) illusionist, (terrible) gambler,
impotent romancer,
part of the power Die stets
das Boese will
und stets das Gute schafft.

so then what happens,
when Helen of Troy evaporates,
and Phorkyas takes off her mask?

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