TWO ANVILS CRY
for Pia Epremian
A piece for amplified voice.
“My spirit fainted within me”
If the mystery is to be
everywhere pressured to reappear
twenty-four hours later in the same
place / testing / testing / night not
remembering / with every nerve’s length
/ being recorded / but remembering /
greetings to all / I apologize being seen
/ then I keep this to myself / and
circle my breath / where none
can reach hold of me
Who are you?
I’m your friend.
How do you know?
Because I see you now.
What do we do?
We remember being seen.
I don’t like that.
Yes, you precisely like that.
You seem to color a red word.
Word.
Word.
You seem to color a red word.
Color.
No color.
Color.
Yes.
To color a red word.
You seem to color a red word.
One speaks and makes a corresponding
gesture / speaks and makes a gesture /
so it’s mimicked by another seated across
from them / so to create a space amongst
them / which never impacts / but seems
like almost touching /
I have beside me a number of
measurements / and in my mind
there is an exact idea of the figure
I am drafting for / how it stands
/ and moves / and sounds /
its posture / and action / in my
mind I place certain lines and many
points / these points and lines will
give the general form of the figure
/ other lesser considerations will
of course surface during this process
/ but form is paramount /
I have to get so close to it to really focus
upon it / and I think I’ve never actually
seen anything that looks like this at this
scale / and I want to make it into what
/ but I know it weighs many tons /
/ and tolerates my movement /
while I’m directed to speak
or not according to
lines it feeds me
Should we get out of here?
What was that?
I don’t know.
But it might have been something
important.
I’ll take a look.
[FROM THE PERIPHERY
WALK TO THE CENTER.]
Wait until I tell you what I’ve found.
[…]
Wait until I tell you what I’ve found in
the living room right now.
I do not remember recording this / say /
take a glass / claim it contains champagne
/ is this how it sounds / a joy that near
to me / remains / come to me / my
sad love / you come across this phrase in
your mind and totally want snow falling on
my hair / this is the last moment we will
share / as if making a small film together
♪ Can nothing, can nothing warm me? ♪
♪ Can nothing, can nothing warm me? ♪
♪ Yes, yes, yes, yes, Lucinda’s eyes. ♪
♪ Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Lucinda’s eyes. ♪
♪ Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Lucinda’s eyes. ♪
Space allows speech to feel
accurately formed / all angles and
curves are ditched / I remember coming
back about midnight and everything I saw
was the one thing I wanted to look at /
I don’t know if I can freeze it or not /
When the night ends / then / starts over
again / some wilder fiction / giving
promise to a life among the dead
/ extension of tongues /
occupying the entirety of the tape
/ voices becoming what tongues find /
floating down / not yet pronounceable /
and rolled back /
I blank once / two anvils cry /
I blank again / and the room is incomplete
because it provokes another one
What did I tell you last night?
That you went down there.
But why down there precisely?
You didn’t say down there precisely.
What did I say?
You just said down there.
Down there … in orbit, I guess?
[…]
No, let’s just remember floating.
You see, that’s the same thing.
[…]
Yes, floating.
Like a voice?
You are a voice sadly.
What do I eat?
You eat your likenesses.
I don’t like that.
Yes, you precisely like that.
You seem to color a red word.
Word.
Word.
You seem to color a red word.
Color.
No color.
Color.
Yes.
To color a red word.
You seem to color a red word.
Scanning this with my eyes / why won’t they
collapse / if you can’t dream / you die /
if you can’t dream / you die /
I don’t feel like staying / I know nothing
/ during / resume to walking / with
this pile of / that’s what I am / but
I admit / I’m glad to come here
/ this room reminds me of home /
and I’m happy to live this life / I often
say / when others come / welcome /
this is the door / it’s a place where things
have no past / if I’m crooked / it’s
because the room is / if I’m excited
/ it’s because of the tremors / if I’m
laughing too much / it’s because of the
tremors /
Where are the keys / scratching keenly /
I’m on my back thinking / I know those
keys will kill me / if I do not obey them
/ now I’m on my back thinking /
the availability of my neck
What do you see?
I see my neck.
In that case, it only follows … I see your neck
too.
I’m so happy to hear you say it.
No, no, we’re being watched.
What?
Do you have a light?
[…]
Have I gone and asked you for something
too easily had?
No, but I’m falling asleep.
Sorry, but in fact, I need to speak to you.
[…]
What do you see?
Space allows speech to
breathe air in better / but
speaking won’t dry the
sweat / from our skin /
I can’t help but think to
gravitate / with whatever
appearance of lips left / optics
flawed / my dread of sentence
/ torn into morning / and overfond
of quarter rests / lolling in place /
to channel through rooms / lug apart
them then / remember where when
/ between two former ones there
hovered a completer being / doubled
over with our eyes only just flush against
each other /
How is it that the feeling of focus and
increased energy will favor too much on
certain days / and others / wheeled off to
where stillness is invaluable / antonym to
nerves / no shifting / the props are carved
/ having beneath them an outline / for
how they stand / and maybe move /
to make a sound / blank /
like a stage
♪ They all together clash. Clash, clash. ♪
♪ They all together clash. Clash, clash. ♪
♪ Clash, clash. They all together clash. ♪
♪ Clash, clash. They all together clash. ♪
♪ Clash, clash. Drink. Drink. Drink. ♪
♪ Drink, drink. ♪
