Wednesday, December 31, 2014

"Curious Folding" Willem Partridge Recounts...

"It may be appropriate to recount my business in Menlo first: I am contracted by the State of New Jersey as an assessor of telegraph lines, especially as they service government agencies and the general commerce.  There are trunks that were used with much more frequency when Edison was still at his laboratory, and, with their disuse, I was sent to calculate lines in service.  As you must have found yourself, the area has fallen far from when I first was contracted seven years ago.  I can assure, my lady, it was not in this sorrowful condition not so long ago."

The use of the anachronism, being addressed as a lady, proved to Ida that Patridge's stern demeanor was, in fact, his true one.  He must see the world in perfect contrasts of one or another.  He spoke with no movement of his neck or shoulders.  His collar was perfectly straight and the long lines in his jowls as they rose horizontally upon his face all led to those impervious brown eyes.  Although still in much pain, she was able to find the appropriate attentiveness to sit through Patridge's comprehensive detailing.

"As much as I expected, vagabonds and squatters took over the buildings, I didn't, or I daresay, wouldn't, have believed the bounds of civility are wholly lost in the poor.  They did little to maintain the necessary commitment for the structures, and, almost assuredly, felt instead compelled to make upon them a worser condition than before.  Forgive me if I see it in such a stark light, but, like the wires I maintain, such a modicum of work can do wonders to maintain the basic necessities of life.

"Here I am, astride my black tawny, riding through the Parks and their overgrowth of dried vines and refused wood, I see the tracks of several canines (may they be wild dog or wolves, I cannot tell unless offered by a tracking expert).  I follow them through the pockets of fields and note that they are striving further to the Park.  It was, upon spotting the buildings, and upon the porch of the Main,  I spotted your small frame.  I only first saw the black cloth of your dress and I took it for drapery.  But I saw then a wolf come closer and you swung to life.  I was taken aback that there was still life in you.  The air was frigid that day, and you lay upon the bare ground, without appropriate attire and surrounded by wolves.   There was cautious movement upon their part, and then I saw the swing of a large stick in your hands.  This was the only thing keeping them from you, but these wolves were patient and looked upon you as they would a toy.  It was chilling how little care beasts have for their victims.  As I pondered how to help, the wolf opposite the other, there being five in all, rushed in and took an excruciating bite from your side.  I leapt into action from there.

"You let out no scream, but sunk inwards, passing out.  The wolves then cautiously led themselves to you.  I found the easiest mark and show within a few paces, I dismounted my horse and had her walk alongside me, luckily she obeyed.

"I walked as close as I could and fired into the wolf that offered its side to me.  I didn't want to kill, but put the fear of the Almighty into them.  It worked.  The wolf jumped backwards, if by some curious preternatural force, which frightened the other animals.  I only had the single shot so I reverted to my club and awaited them.  They looked around harried, but the confusion blinded them to me, so I moved position and was allowed the reloading of the rifle.  I was quite lucky then, the shot wolf yelped and mewed to the attention of its brethren.  It would die from its wounds.  The others lost some confidence and turned away from you.  Before they could even spot me, I fired again and hit another wolf in the bottom.   This was the one that took a bite from you. This sent all of them to run forward and away from the main building.

"However, 'your' beast was from Hades itself.  It did not run but limped around as if it knew exactly where I was.  It growled fiercely, your blood along its maw like a wicked make-up.  He quickly crossed the distance between us before my horse or I could react.  It half-charged, with only little locomotion left, and I had to strike with the club.  I beat it to submission and ensured his demise.

"I took you back inside, but found you had little warmth and even less food.  Luckily, I carry a repast, and gave you want little you would take.  Keeping you awake was much more difficult.  Then," he moved in close, to a whisper, 'and sorry if this sounds harsh, but you had no food in the lab nor toiletries.  I thought that you were a vagrant, until I saw that you were working on an experiment non-paraleil.  As you see from my experience, I took fast interest to your designs and this put urgency to find you help before you died.

"You were close to expiring my lady, on several occasions.  The sisters here are well-experienced in keep you alive."

Ida felt the sores, but didn't know that it was a wolf that attempted to feast upon her.  She shuddered and felt suddenly ill.  She thought the words of gratitude but all she could do was stare at Patridge, her eyes glassy and faint.  She then passed out.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

"Ariel: The Restored Edition" Sylvia Plath, HarperCollins, 2004, Foreword by Frieda Hughes...

"I appeared to me that my father's editing of Ariel was seen to 'interfere' with the sanctity of my mother's suicide, as if, like some deity, everything associated with her must be enshrined and preserved as miraculous....But my mother, inasmuch as she was an exceptional poet, was also a human being and I found comfort in restoring the balance; it made sense of her for me."  - Frieda Hughes (xviii)

Ariel contains 40 poems in its first section, a facsimile of the manuscript in the second, drafts of Ariel next and appendices with a restored version of "The Swarm" and the script for the BBC broadcast of 1962 (where you will find her introducing in a few clips circulating on youtube).

Here are some favored lines:
Morning Song - "And now you try your handful of notes; The clear vowels rise like balloons."
The Rabbit Catcher - "I felt a still busyness, an intent.  I felt hands round a tea mug, dull, blunt, Ringing the white china."
The Detective - "We walk on air, Watson.  There is only the moon, embalmed in phosphorous.  There is only a crow in a tree.  Make notes."
Daddy - "I made a model of you, A man in black with a Meinkampf look, And a love of the rack and the screw."
Stopped Dead - "Is it a penny, a pearl - Your soul, your soul?  I'll carry it off like a rich pretty girl..."

"Ariel: The Restored Edition"



"Kiss me and you will see how important I am." - Sylvia Plath

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

"The Journals of Sylvia Plath" Foreward by Ted Hughes, 1982, Anchor Books

"A real self, as we know, is a rare thing....Most of us are never more than bundles of contradictory and complementary selves....When a real self finds language, and manages to speak, it is surely a dazzling event - as Ariel was."  - Ted Hughes

I held this in my hand at the bookstore.  It was my birthday and I buy a requisite tome each year, something I typically hold off on otherwise.  Even up to the queue I struggled with it.  It is a journal surely, but it is raw and unflinching.  I find myself needlessly embarrassed.  Plath and Hughes have passed on ages ago at this point.  With Hughes the most recent, in 1998.

Knowing of Plath's suicide and having seen the photograph as a clumsy, sad death in an oven.  Two children left behind.  A seemingly ignoble end.  However, Mr. Hughes exalts it with a terse, honest forward.   Plath had, in most respects, as he attests, allowed her true self out, which would become Ariel.  The outcome, in her death, can be either obvious or an awfully painful exercise of the human condition.  The journal is proof of an internal life, lived and relived.

So inspired by her energy, the crisp, knowing lines, I read a few excerpts before deciding on must having it.  I wanted to immediately fly to a corner of a library and spend the day poring over it.  Having read through most of it over the last few weeks, it is an easy book to recommend for anyone that is a fan of Plath, or of poetry, or of pain.

It is broken up into corresponding points of her adult life, although it does start with her life at Lookout Farm as an 18-year-old.  The naivete of this time is broken by the orchestration of an old pervert.  She captures each moment lucidly, acknowledging the people and critical points that led her down that unfortunate road.

The years generally fall from her maroon colored journals as: Smith College, 1950-55, Cambridge, 1955-57, Smith, 1957-58, Boston, 1958-59, and England, 1960-62.  Hughes leaves out the last weeks leading to her death, piquing interest of words spoken and words that he had to shield from the children.  There's heartbreak there and he admits that forgetfulness here is necessary.

Sylvia was born in 1932, attempted suicide in 1953, married Hughes in 1956, succeeded in her second attempt in 1963, while in England and her masterwork, Ariel, was published in 1965.  This title was released in 1982 and printed in paperback in '98.

There are pictures of the glowing young thing.  How I would have loved sitting with her for a few moments, with that electric smile.  She wore her hair short, she seemed a focused spirit in her writing, I bet she wore overly long sweater jackets.  I bet she smelled of light florals and light cigarettes.  She has slight cramps in her hand, as poets do, writing and rewriting, tapping typewriters and scribbling masturbatorily on long sheets.  Literary lights as she were uncommon.  I find myself staring at photographs of a facade, an unhonest image.  The words define, and there's exploration here in these pages.



Monday, December 22, 2014

Victoire Se le Monde

The drithers colmed, what weer there naught in bawdy draughts the tempest deigned
In mee mind and in thee deepy coifs of foggy brine
Breathe on me, on my cutted cheek, like an exposed whuttle to the sea collecting and sharpening this face
You'll no love for me is believed

Not to all eve's proven in a trial of a travail or in try as i shall may
As sun light its past to or passed in shadowed disarray, no longer day
Whereio, whereito, but a center i surely be the clouds liftily fluffer on a silkscreen down
Let me crack your conventions of love

They are thin and wanting, barely e'en hungry
Mine are a ferocity, globbuling want and tearing the thick fabric of the day asunder
Allow it and fear, for it is truth and truth will rake you in ecstasy In the riches of flame
You in turn return changed

Your eyes open, your body wrecked in exhaustion, seeing the abalone edges in the charged air
Dark tendrils of sweat soaked black cooling on your temple
Thought has entered you Its triumphal clenched declarative 
It resonates infinitely tho wait for the chord to stop yet it bows and quivers still

Satiation is shared in thunderclaps and saliva
We can take but little more...but hold each other in a tangle of completed orchestrations
Hide in one another for thee storm's fierce and it seeks what evaporated seconds ago
Unfettered breath signals victory.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

...topaz...

Wondrous humble as I briefly held your hand in mine
The eyes oft dreamt in mine for the briefest breaths
But held now infinite in the frame of this proclaimed time
The pulse regains strength and fight the urge to weep
As I head south on the 101

It rained, I only remember it now, as you were the centerpiece
In the stain glass of my mind, the foci topaz
The color of light, the bright of your smirk
The dimples, the hair
The moment always
Your smile radiates along the frame entire

Soft sullen laconic brass welled in my heart and eyes
The softs of your gentle hand
A song on the periphery of my consciousness
Mellowed by fine tequila
And here in the confines of sheets
I long to think of you
The rain tumbling down in joy.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

An Edwardian Jackal's Deceptively Bagatelle Dinner

The menu being that of a Ballast Point Bloody Mary and Wine Pickled Eggs...

Being branded a perfectionist today (what a word!), I was emboldened to take upon a nightly excursion, post-employ, to purchase the necessary constituents of a Bloody Mary.  A young naiad had recently went to some effort (so great in my mind then) for a mix from the what was once called the 'Golden City'.  It's name is Ballast Point* and it is fine as any freshly made concoction.  To compare it to other bottled Bloody mixes is a slap to its saucy face (this face being that of the aquiline).  The term 'mix' seems incomplete.

The emporium I hardly frequented had little of the ingredients, although it did have Sapphire Gin.  A few green onions (in lieu of celery), lemons, sea salt and the house hot sauce** were brought together in anticipation.  [As this was my repast for the evening, and it was well past 9pm, I also deigned a quick meal of soft boiled eggs in red wine vinegar and sea salt.  I have not alluded that this was to be healthy.]

A capital feast if there was any.  The eggs mellowed the overt spiciness of the concoction.

To whit - two parts of gin to the three of the Ballast was a perfect ratio - I din't taste the alcohol.  Mix the parts in a separate glass with ice, long enough to cool, but not too long to dilute.  Slowly pour to a new glass with fresh ice.  Garnish with green, lemon, hot sauce, a dash of salt, a dash of pepper.

It was the fortunate notes of tomato, pepper and spice coming together in a foundry of heat and flavor.  I drank to the naiad's health and well-being, may she be well loved and cared for all of her days.

*http://www.ballastpoint.com/spirit/bloody-mary/
**http://store.davesgourmet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DAIN

The Offices of Letters and Light


I received a parcel most intriguing today in the afternoon post.  It had quite an enigmatic puff to its belly.  It was addressed to me.  Curious!  Upon opening I found a treasure trove of magical materials.  A bookmark signed by Chris Angotti and Grant Faulkner of NaNoWriMo.  Apparently they have a department that handles all sorts of wizardry and majick.  I have a bracelet to prove myself to others as a 'wizard' of some high esteem.  The aforesaid bookmark.  And a triumvirate of stickers: inspiration, plot bunny and troubling characters.  They shall guide me as I someday return to Freeway for a second draft.  First is the first: third draft of Filipino Cookbook.


A Most Curious Case of Folding 1.6 [Part After the Doctor's Illness]

The Doctor Scientist awoke in an infirmary.  The lining of her throat felt torn as if it were tatters, a ripped sheet, tender and raw. Her mouth ached with sores.  Breath burned it fiercely, the cold lil a sharp nailed claw. She could not speak.

Her arms were useless, her shoulders bruised.  Beneath the strings of bandages she could see  the skin was black, like a wild duck underneath its down.  Her head buzzed and she suffered through a term of never ending headache.  She could not sleep, instead longing for the warmth of unconsciousness than this state.  The pain was tremendous and only frequent administration of salicylic acid eased it.

Not being able to speak, her nurses, all nuns, could offer little in the way of exposition.  It was only after the second day did one of the more desultory nurses let slip that she was at the Saint Barnabas hospital in Livingston.  She was well North of Menlo.  Far enough away to have no affectation on the goings on there.

Ida managed to write instruction, but her hands lost their impotence after little more than a few words.  The nuns learned her name and did what they could to lead her to health.  "Dearie, it's God's Providence that you are even here, so let there be less talk (and littler worry) over your affairs at Menlo.  The young man that brought you here, Partridge, had to fight off wolves to get to your cold body.  You were on the verge of death, if you had not died already.  God sought to bring you back from the Nether.  Are you not humbled?"

The question was loaded to her.  She was humbled.  Perhaps there is a God, but I seek to find out in my work of the spaces in between.  She asked for a new roll of pencils and wrote up plans.  After the fourth day, the headache finally broke and she was eating her first solid food.  They gave her a aspic of chicken with cranberries.  It was meant to kill any infection.  It was delicious and proved its potency for vigor.

Ida was harangued for attempting to stand.  During one such episode a striking figure came to the aid of the nuns.  The Scientist felt instantly ashamed for her behavior and was the freshest moment that her wont could be considered insane.  Her cheeks flushed.

The man stared at her quizzically.  His eyes were sharp and black.  His face was long and oval, almost perfectly so.  He had a shock of thinning black.  He showed signs of his age around his mouth.  Partridge.  Willem Partridge.  The nun introduced him but was ashamed herself for the display that Ida put them both into.  It was uncalled for.

Partridge hardly blinked and felt the need to detail each moment of her saving...

Sunday, December 14, 2014

...Literary Gifts for Christmas, 2014...

My shopping done, my mind at ease (at least here), I offer these to your family and friends that uphold the literary and fantastical.  Play a mix of R&B Christmas and stroll on down.


Have (and use) the full format version, mention this one because it is effective and it comes in a pocket sized edition for the holidays.  So cute.

Wear your heart of darkness on your neck, not as a noose but as a lovely scarf.  This one is of "The Cask of Amontillado".  I spent a healthy part of high school memorizing the opening lines.

These days playing chess by yourself is a normal part of a nerd's life.

Absinthe and sandalwood tones embue this candle.  Write whilst smelling Edgar's smoking jacket I suppose.

Demeter Fragrances:
Dramatic fragrances for a night of reading or writing.  I put a few drops behind my ears before sitting down with Sylvia Plath.  

Hope Necklace in Silver - Emily Dickinson 
"Hope is the thing with Feathers that perches in the Soul, and sings the tunes without the words, and never stops at all."  Oh Emily, you've enlivened my demeanor.
These charms are getting increasingly more ornate and specific.  Saw another today that is for those fond of zombies.


A very comprehensive bit of jewelry, with the opening paragraphs of one of my top five romantic novels.


I can't think of a better gift for the true purveyor of the written word.  It is 216 pages long and allows you over a hundred pages to log the books you've read, a section on books you'd like to read, where you buy your books, ones you've borrowed, ones you've lent.  OMG OCD.

Gardenia, Tuberose and Jasmine.  As but I could rest on her bosom and smell these notes.

Those Barnes & Noble "Little Gifts"
You've seen these for years: small palm-sized boxes that house a bit of fun in all forms.

Classic book covers and author photographs will call out as we play a game together.

...

...from the club...and a few blue drinks...




A longing for control that no man could possibly claim
Hard press you to me
Eager hands and discerning mouth
a mind that will not falter
til a thousand pleasures sought along your body.


Saturday, December 13, 2014

Word Counts of Short Format Novels

When winding down on "Freeway 1979", I came to a conundrum that intrigued me, 'Fifty thousand words does not a novel make'.  Freeway is an action novel and the tenor of it is crisp and sharp.  I abhor extraneous back story for some of the characters, instead opting that their terse words and actions speak to their past.  The last mile, about four thousand words, had me sloughing through that very exercise.  I felt like I was writing a college assignment that I cared little for.


First Edition Cover
Out of the 50k+ words for Freeway, I think the perfect word count would come down to 32k and no more than 35k.  After that, it will certainly plod.  In response, I thought over many shorter form novels I've read and wondered at their word count.  My admiration for them is that they put forward a bold story and in a format that frames its immediacy.

In the process of this discovery, I found this site: http://www.hemingwayapp.com/.  It's promise is that it will analyze your story and find ways to whittle down what it considers too much.

Novels that came immediately to mind were:

Old Man and the Sea - Earnest Hemingway 6,162
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald 47,094
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane 47,180
The Snows of Kilimanjaro - Earnest Hemingway 9,162

Of them, Gatsby is just a powerhouse.  All of them are memorable.  Others came up like, 
Old Yeller - Fred Gipson 35,968 and Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis 36,363.  Taunt prose and an efficiency of words.

First Edition Cover
All told, I have 18k words of inefficiency.  Nothing beyond what should be considered notes.  It'll be integral on the second pass, I'm sure, but it was painful.

For grins, I checked in on my favorite novel of all time to see its word count: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain 110,668.

Sometimes it takes as many words as you need to tell that story.