Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The Man Without Hands (Weeping As Not Weeping)

In one of the earliest stages, when I was doing the scenario, I thought when one comes to the far top of this gigantic house, to an attic room, a last character would appear, some kind of a giant with barely discernible wings, some kind of angelic figure. He would lift the arm of the phonograph, the music would stop, and one would see all the film's scenes in still-frames.
~ Patrick Bokanowski

To keep grasping at hands the pitcher
breaks time's immediacy an egg of reason clicks
we are an image-track of cause we are the sound-
image of grace voluntarily sucked-up
into things into a world phonographically
removed from the suddeness of place.


A reverse-shot for description
following the light a serial
light the motion of actors unacted
the dancers undanced the film
unfilmed the workers in this
country of the undead
an involuntary appearance
serials light the motion


This man-god kills itself again
this man-god rising without hands
these signs were put down
in books the miraculous
stop-action of pages never ceasing
to amaze us believers
all words were meant to be read
and sung but this ladder
can never be unclimbed twice


A plaster for movement
A mold for dance
A thought-perimeter
A mulled mold
A degree holder
A modal desiring function...
Smallest when we see
Smallest when we leave
Smallest when we concept


The world leaves
me a miniature
to operate a machine
of no desire any longer
a mother fucker
just floating there un-
beknownst to itself
or any first mover
for that matter


Grace suffices to move nothing but itself
as a movement of thought it removes
everything but the necessary as a movement
of words it requires a mind so readied
to think with words (materials) that the sense
that words are being used falls away
leaving only the feeling for expression
the attempt to express adequate ideas themselves.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

i've seen 'grace' mentioned here before and I'm wondering the history, or lineage, of this particular grace? it seems like a much heavier defined grace than I'm aware of. could you say a bit about your view of it or point me to orgins or springboards? very interested.

thanks,
L

Anonymous said...

"grace suffices to move nothing but itself"

= the object, or becoming object, of the occurence

= thus gaining a becoming via its motive (ie: that which is 'being done' gracefully or with grace)

= it furthers itself by furthering itself; yet its purpose, or motive, is outside of grace itself

= accumalative destiny

= it loves itself

L

Thom Donovan said...

i don't know L... most of this particular text was generated after readings of Giorgio Agamben's The Time That Remains, and Stein's sense of movement & expression, and Alain Badiou's philosophy, and an interview I read on X-mas day btwn Scott MacDonoald & Patrick Bokanowski whose film The Angel I simply love... not sure I can say more than this except to keep writing on "grace" which I will continue to do... I guess I am still understanding the term myself thru varied sources and histories

Anonymous said...

nice post, it's really interesting for me today, thx