After Waves*

to Aaron Miller
after Gary Hill and Paul Sharits

Children repeat
This wave after me
This image is something
That changes waves
A grainy voice
Should glisten
On this sea

Turns of phrase

The image is something
That changes shape
The image
Something that
Shapes change
A voice
Seen should
Listen to me

Turning grain after grain

Repeat this wave
Repeat after me the
Image is something
Heard distantly
Here is why
We have some stake in color

Heterodyne ~ turn these waves off

Flick them on turning
Phrase after
Phrase
Images should be
Heard
And not seen
Not on these dark waves

These waves turning on and on

Children repeat
To make a change
There is
No reversing
These waves
Only enacting world

These phrases turning like waves

They tune to
Our dreams hetero-
dyne
That a boat was too
Small on that
Sea
That
A phrase was too small
For its frame

From this distance turning grain after grain

As the waves turn off and
Off
Repeat this wave
This word after waves
Heterodyne
A voice is something that
Distorts words
Making them occur

Repeat this image a grainy voice flicks

Children repeat this effect after me

*composed Winter-Spring '05