9/25/85

"I need my subject matter. I need to
hold onto it joyfully and even more
so if I am anxious..."

9/27/85 - 11:00 am
Gloria (after *A Wave*, poem by John Ashbery)

With very few experiences do we stop on a dime.
For the most part we live in many time zones at once.
It's very reasonable that the obvious should slip by
Just when we are dumbstruck by the evidence.
And, although this occasion and that occurance mark the precise moment of its consummation
All the surrounding experiences take on a heightened, lucid intensity.
This is how these events connect and the wall surrounding them
Is vague (staring at the postcard, trying
to remember where I had seen it).

The desire to speak is partly a desire
To remark on what is, to elevate
Some common occcurance- or even relatively rare occurance-
to the level of myth. Only of course,
At this moment appearances would say that the future looks good
For this reality to come into being
So we bet on it. By now a surrounding
Crystalline structure has enveloped the
Mall. "Let's capitalize on this," and
Then the best of them shake their heads.
"It wasn't clear." And yet, the actual amount
Of light *and* shade increased, whipping
Past current consciousness at tremendous speed.
So, you need not really worry about feeling that something is toppling
Until well after your attention has been drawn to some
Area of safety and you're burning to get there.
Otherwise,why not continue on your present course,
Thinking all the while that you have your very own
Way of doing things anyway. There
*are* real dangers, but these must be
Understood, like everything else, over time.
With practice, the crisis is well rehearsed
Long before it has come, and you have
Been concentrating on mastering your personal blend
Of easy-going humor and ready, accurate information.