hannah vannevar

Barnett Newman
'The Voice' (1950)

________________



Recital
2010



“The life of
a dead man
With a compass
in the palm
of his hand.”

As depicted
in an essay
recited by
the recently
showered beauty
queen.

Teeth of tapioca
eviscerated pearls
in warm skein
sequenced vaseline
fish guts
wishes to
hand blown
wished paid
out
on
faith.

to the
invention of
superstition
fiction.

Blown into
crystal,
hand polished
in very
cold waters

strung in saliva.

Sinuous neck
heaving in
the heat
under a black
and blue joyous
black bag
like the side
of a run horse

-RLS