The Mimosa Effect 2

The first in a series of patchwork poems.  This one is a variation on found poetry.  The lines used in the poems were taken from writings by Hesse, Kafka and H.G. Wells.

I.

Enhaloed now in birds,
how mockingly bright the day seemed
bells borne back and forth
by the drifting of the tide
a film about Palestine in the afternoon.
He spent two days in pursuit of her,
days of impatient happiness
  (one always suspected some ingenuity
  in ambush, behind his lucid frankness);
Vast, indeed, was the change that we beheld.
Were we crazy? We ran through the park
at night, swinging branches;
what might appear when that hazy curtain
was altogether withdrawn?
What evenings, walks, despair
are still before me?
Nothing, nothing.  This is the way
I raise up ghosts before me,
the profounder grew the stillness.

II.

Dim and wonderful is the vision
I have conjured in my mind:
Seven girls, one of them short,
a sweet look, a white rabbit
on her shoulder,
the cat is playing with the goats;
These things are mere abstractions,
remnant of a faith.
That is just where the whole
world has gone wrong:
we are always getting away
from the present moment;
in peacetime, you don’t get anywhere,
in wartime you bleed to death.
Then open yourself
let the human person come forth
breathe in the air and the silence:
My life is only
a hesitation before birth.

  —-

All of the lines in the preceding poems were borrowed from the following works (with some very slight tweaking):

• Narziss and Goldmund by Herman Hesse (all about pursuit of self)
• Franz Kafka’s Diaries (the last few lines are from Kafka; who knew he could be so Zen?)
• The Time Machine & War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (a secret poet; the very first line is his.  In my memory, the pioneers of science fiction were much more formal and matter-of-fact in their writing style than many writers are today.  But on re-reading, I realized that Wells’ writing was full of unexpected passion and poetry, wonderful lines that shone out in the midst of the grimmest of scenes.)

Thanks to Sweet Talking Guy for the old fashioned cut-and-paste idea. (Once I’d thumbed through books picking out lines and writing them down, I then cut all the lines out with scissors and taped them together to form poetry).

over(heard) and under(stood)

midway through the debate
something became very apparent
he had spent his time
wandering around the perimetre
don’t think he listened to a word they said
(some think he might have been
looking for his dog
who was lost during the war
some sixty years ago)

—–

do you really believe
that cars always explode on impact
that liars always smile when they’re lying
that most people are mostly stupid
most of the time, and that
the vote of the wilfully ignorant,
the deliberately misinformed
will ultimately decide the election?

—-

I try to stay focused
on what I’m seeing on the ground
the first lady said
then a piano fell on her
everyone agreed
it was a tragedy of errors

—–

on national public radio
a man in a British accent
reads the news
more innocent people
die in the war

axis of view / axis of you

When the currents went against gravity
she was always on the swings
(the magical element of water:
shades of blue & grey, wet & leaves)
I’m trying to find out
what the dots represent
melted into aggregates
expansion of complexity
(but only as a fallback)
he knew the material was toxic
(but not how it would break down over time)
he was controlling the vibrations
trying to fool the seismic interpreter
sink holes a result of drilling in playgrounds
he never listens when they say
that viewer discretion is advised
to blink or not to blink is a matter of survival
(everyone knows that angels move faster)
you speak of collaboration but
this feels more like tyranny
I think I should get to use
the wild card for something wild
(but that might mark the end
before we’ve even begun)

- T.H. (more found poetry here)

Baked enamel finish. Color: Standard beige. Other colors available.

Cell walls have a number of functions

Attention must be given to the structural nature of the cell

The cell wall provides a porous medium for the circulation and distribution of water, minerals, and other nutrients

A pre-cast concrete cell can withstand extreme physical abuse, clever entry, concealment attempts, and repeated tampering.

The cell wall counters the effects of osmotic pressure, keeping the cell from bursting

Corrosive materials or bodily fluids can deteriorate cell wall systems over time, allowing for corroded areas to be used to hide contraband or be used as a ligature point

The cell wall bestows rigidity to the plant, maintaining the cell’s characteristic shape

The hostel was built in the old military barracks of the old Austro-Hungarian empire;
the doors and windows are still barred, the floors still sloped to accommodate drains

The cell walls of all bacteria are not identical. In fact, cell wall composition is one of the most important factors in bacterial species analysis and differentiation

The dungeon is kept as it once was, although a camera obscura has been placed in the wall so that the shadows of passers-by are turned upside-down

The relative rigidity of the cell wall renders plants sedentary, unlike animals, whose lack of this type of structure allows their cells more flexibility, which is necessary for locomotion.

A suicide prevention cell should
(1) not have joints at the ceiling and between the walls for the purpose of anchoring a
hook through the wall and committing hanging.
(2) Seamless floors should be used instead of tile that has sharp corners.
(3) Floor surface should be nonslip surface that can’t be removed.

“Perspective can be a prison,” say the architects,

The rooms have been transformed by guest artists. Beds hang in mid-air. Poems are scrawled on the walls. Artwork is made from cupboards. Doorways are turned into sundials.

“Too many things have a rational beginning. We need more mystery;
The struggle of man against power
is the struggle of memory against forgetting”

———

This found poetry compilation was inspired by the Poetry Thursday prompt, “If These Walls Could Talk.” For more PT poems visit www.poetrythursday.blogspot.com

The prison/hostel article (and its corresponding quotes) can be found at: www.villagemagazine.ie/article.asp?sid=1&sud=38&aid=3135

Ad copy from companies manufacturing concrete and modular prison cells can be found at:
http://www.opmg.com/e-mail/email2005Bsuicide/1-E-mail%202005BSecurity-Precast.htm
www.pxdirect.com/holding_cell.htm

Information on the biology of plant cell walls can be found by Googling “cell walls”