1. |
angels in tandem
02:10
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“the devil set him upon the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him: if thou be the son of god, cast thyself down, for it is written: that he hath given his angels charge over thee” – matthew 4:5-6
1. angels in tandem (2:10) parachute off of the parapet and angels will catch the angle of intercept parallel lines intersect intersect eleven down tempt not no test with the ground per sec per sec ø accelerate per sec per sec head into hands please catch please catch ø ø wires get caught in the devil’s claws ø ø ø
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2. |
joyspill
01:59
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“spending time / spending money / spending truth / spending time” – minutemen “joy”
2. joyspill (2:00) catch wild seeds on the wind the fish are jumping right on in ø bolt of lightning in my hand ø ø where there’s a rock there is sand where there are trees there is land ø ø ø
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3. |
hold holes
01:45
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“a man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly” – merton no man is an island, 7.9
3. hold holes (1:45) wheels are spinning while yr supper is sitting getting cold while the wheels heat the road that is bringing what unfolds is spinning while yr wheels are sitting getting rode in the cold of the past future folds dropping bowls of grinning down the center of yrself is the hole inside that makes whole when dived ø the power’s proof is in the weak the earth must hang in emptiness ø vitality is hungriness yr pain is where yr comfort is ø
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4. |
potato empire
01:49
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“anyone who will not tread the arduous way to heaven will run the easy way to hell” – cloud of unknowing, 56
4. potato empire (1:49) couch potato where did yr wind go? what did you leave at the hanging tree? gather the lions turn all yr thumbs down sit on yr couch and smile as they bleed ø there are walls between us made of windows going nowhere we can go there are people between us made of potatoes but no one believes me if i don’t glow
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5. |
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“and the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to god, who gave it” – ecclesiastes 12:7
ø
5. when i was thirteen years old, i felt my body getting quite, quite cold (1:24) thirty-three, twenty-three ø thirteen, just three ø just three days old, so if you think earth’s made of gold, remember dust does shed its soul
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6. |
catapult the gates
02:02
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“he has his winter too of pale misfeature, / or else he would forget his mortal nature” – keats “the human seasons”
6. catapult the gates (2:02) throw the black gate open throw the rusty wrench out into the wind we never had it locked because we were never let in ø admit the catapult is broken admit it threw the fire on yr best friend admit that the gate was never open admit you’ll be inside from the start til the end
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7. |
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“under a juniper-tree the bones sang, scattered and shining” – eliot “ash wednesday”
7. bury me by the ghost trees (3:11) and the ghost trees throw roots below the grasses nightly ø and we mostly grown to die to grow these and slowly ø ø but some ashes fly and eyes relight with darkest light
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8. |
choir of the sinuses
01:15
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“music is pleasing not only because of the sound but because of the silence that is in it: without the alternation of sound and silence there would be no rhythm. if we strive to be happy by filling all the silences of life with sound, productive by turning all life’s leisure into work, and real by turning all our being into doing, we will only succeed in producing a hell on earth” – merton no man is an island, 7.9
8. choir of the sinuses (1:15) hand out the choir songbooks hands out! let us see those sweaty palms pat down yr robes and brush off all the dirt that might get in between you and the song ø dust in air tuned itchy eyes allergies vibrate with sound pollen’s beat is out of time cosine tangent stopsign ø don’t all noses run at once run at twice prince stopped up highness sign us up for choir class ø sneeze during the silence ø the rests will run into each other
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9. |
the gnats aren't dragons
01:53
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“never laugh at live dragons, bilbo you fool” – tolkein the hobbit
9. the gnats aren’t dragons (1:53) but neither are the wolves ø the winds still push here and the gravity pulls ø the dark forest the hardwood floor the dreams we gather the ideas we ignore ø ø don’t let those thorns snag you ø ø ø the gnats aren’t dragons
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10. |
truth rollups
02:12
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“the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold” - genesis 3:6
10. truth rollups (2:12) give me the strength to eat from the tree give me the fruit to set me free give me the truth that satisfies me the fruit the truth to let me be ø the fruit grows, goes, knows, shows ø give me the key to unlock the tree to sate my thirsty curiosity give me the truth to create me to eat the fruit that grows on yr body taste the juicy kiwi drip down my cheek and make my hands sticky red stains on my dress from raspberries truth it is imparting ø ø (the truth shows) ø ø ø give me the strength to eat from the tree the fruit the truth that satisfies me drip down my cheek and make my hands sticky truth it is imparting ø eat to be free choose freely the fruit frees me the fruit is free free to eat fruit is lovely the fruit will set you free
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11. |
dream job: lightning rod
01:07
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“they are so concerned for their life that their anxiety makes life unbearable, even when they have the things they think they want. their very concern for enjoyment makes them unhappy” – the way of chuang tzu, xviii.i.
11. dream job: lightning rod (1:08) lightning from the ground rise through my mouth ø the groundhog goes outside to forage at night and steal the color from my darling’s sight ø ø i was so terrible at two i showed my claws and tore at fruit i can bear terrible truths i will be the fruit that claws tear through
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12. |
sealing jars of ash
02:38
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“rise from ashes like the phoenix if we were refused” - bh
12. sealing jars of ash (2:39) banging the banjo late at night ø our old neighbors taking flight ø leave no air inside the tomb and mark the door with ash ø banging the banjo late at night like sealing the applesauce lids on tight ø ø botulism burning pain the burning house will spread no flame the ball of gas buried in the cellar the dying spreading life in cans of laughter ø ø ø mark the door with applesauce and seal the jars of ash up tight
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13. |
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“a seed only flourishes by staying in the ground in which it is sown” – nouwen the inner voice of love
13. pistil dirge (flower song) (1:08) flower song a pistil dirge daffodils harmonize with dirt ø weatherworn sundried worms seed in grave where blooms are born ø ø flower song ø ø leave the dirt in the sun ø ø leave the dirt where it belongs
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14. |
cleats
01:50
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“things that decay are good...decay damages, and there can be no damage where there is no good to be lost” – augustine confessions 7.18
14. cleats (1:51) these cleats they dig into the ground so tight so feet don’t slip i grip the earth the field is ripped what once was grass is now dirtpit ø and my foot is just a bone and my cleats are not my home ø ø and my foot is just a home and my cleats are not my bones
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15. |
ides of merch
02:23
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“caesar should be a beast without a heart / if he should stay at home today for fear” - julius caesar II.ii.42-3
15. ides of merch (2:23) tinfoilman chest bloody beast with no heart but guts aplenty fifteen of us march too slowly death demands no demands solely ø corners of my eyes corridors go blind ø ø cowherds cry at thunderchimes lick death off lips dribbles off chins bibs one bite of time
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16. |
light feet please
01:38
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“like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, / so do our minutes hasten to their end” – sonnet lx
16. light feet please (1:39) i am tripping across the desert of my youth ø every feeling i’ve had is a feeling i’ve lost for you ø ø i chop down the evergreen it will never be ø what i fear and what i mean don’t seem to meet
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17. |
spider hammock
03:24
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[these next two are particularly specific about ben and his afterdeath inspiration to us: moving with the sorrow instead of moving past or not at all. he had a beat up copy of ulysses among very few other books when he died, so that’s why the bloom samples frame song 17.]
“we live after death. our souls. that a man’s soul after he dies”
17. spider hammock (3:25) spider hammock aerodynamic weave to sit in it flip flies fly by weave it sit in it flies wave goodbye ø elegant design spied by compound eyes free to kick in it no need to writhe the climb is high ride? i decline ø ø how many times i’ve quit before i start sick of rapping at others direct it back at my own heart beats fast when i’m struggling against the sticky web sick of them split it then time to fly again try like angles of three isosceles keeping one different better yet all three scalene scaling rocks and walls walled off feelings missing you ø afraid of letting you down i never get up it seems ø ø ø
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18. |
groundhog hog no ground
01:47
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“amid the stench of moldy limewash and stale cobwebs...strange kind of music”
18. groundhog hog no ground (1:48) a map i can’t unfold without ripping (sits in the zippered pouch of my bookbag) ø a vintage wine i never get to sipping (corked and shelved away) ø ø thoughts on things i’ll never pray about ø prayers i would forget to say out loud ø ø ø i don’t forget about you but i keep undoing what you’d have me do ø when i sleep through i wonder when i’ll forget to
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19. |
woodpecker
01:22
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“we are the clay” - isaias 64:8
19. woodpecker (1:22) don’t be a woodpecker be a hole ø (turning as a termite in a telephone pole) ø ø i tore my hands on the riverstones pulling my boat through the shallows ø ø we are not workers we are work ø we are not diggers we are dirt
ø
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maintain the light Annandale, Virginia
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