New Time
WESLEYAN POETRY
Leslie Scalapino
New Time
Wesleyan University Press
Published by University Press of New England
Hanover and London
Wesleyan University Press
University Press of New England, Hanover, NH 03755
© 1999 by Leslie Scalapino All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
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CIP data appear at the end of the book
Acknowledgments:
Poems from New Time appeared in Conjunctions, Chelsea, and Out of Everywhere (Reality Street, London).
Cover painting: Gerhard Richter, January 1989.
New Time
there’s still on the rim of night (having been in it) which is (in night) there as his horizontal lying rest in snow — breathing in breath ‘at’ the light day
overwhelming the mark being ‘by’ his ‘action’ — there — only. one’s — only breathing in breath — not night or day.
past cold, the man kneeling in snow — outside, one — which is horizontal waiting — in ‘falling snow’ overwhelming of the mark, the other being in it — only. as being the only overwhelming of rim.
that he’s — ‘running’ — by being forward ‘lying’ which is waiting (outside): ‘by’ — on the ground in rim of snow dropping on sky and floor only.
him — having an — action — snowing falling itself as the only overwhelming the rim — flowing on it:
night’s dropping — ‘there:’ as itself overrunning horizontal lying resting itself. his (this other person’s) overrunning is at rim — only — not ‘fighting’ as: freezing snowing in it — only.
structure in reverse is the black sky — inside
defining (as, one) — blue destroying — not — gap — where is figures — is dawn
being the reduction of the sky by (one’s) structure not seen after merely but in being after only.
interpretative — blue destroying — itself — their — structure in being after only
‘it’s itself interpreting’ — reordering only — as it
the pressure is violent cumulation of series, in earlier youth (now, which isn’t it) — isn’t it, is caused by it (?) (series)
at that present
rain: falling in sheets at the time. sitting floating (not in it) (fictive there while occurring)
they think (of it, this) knowledge is of one — inner. only. woman carried can see inner. this is some don’t hate everyone. this is being. people need the thought of comfort. there’s no comfort.
the physical body has comfort
sometimes
(enervated)
whereas this doesn’t
enervated — extended
not itself
the physical body has
comfort — this is inner
people don’t hate everyone is to the physical body’s inner
peace has been cumulative there, in the cubicles in light, outside of which is the river through the meadows.
they’re clear. (haven’t been in war for some time.)
cubicles, of only city, from high up where people live — separated by a river with a vast meadow on either side, people fishing at a far distance on it — unknown how one makes a living or anything, as there are no connections, while there are companies — people ‘communicate’ only to people
the physical body
is only on that
of cubicles
(the neck cut out — and being the earlier life — is the inner.)
fighting. made up. yet the sole movement is fighting from one throughout. at present.
others, one can’t stand the existence — and fight to have existence.
there’s no relation, of one to being and the inner —
The movement in the frame (of one’s) throughout years, in youth — not imposed, so it’s sole — yet accumulation as that even, and so heavily weighed — have no images
mud, the mind in heavy cumulated series — so ‘mud’ is a relief to have in ‘the neck being taken out’ to make the earlier start/ ‘earlier life’, while at this time (later) — and to have only the relation to real as only death of one’s frame — moves
pressure that’s on rim of surface running over it — almost crying — as (at) have no images
the ‘mud’ as a ‘favorable’ near clear in the cumulated weight — that’s not in one’s frame in movement (that’s) in youth, rather than now, but caused by it or is it — so that its relation to seeing real (death of frame as law) is clear pressure
clear pressure (only ‘having’ to — and so without images, though ‘mud’ as the mind is one) as a law
not (at) one’s frame, or at existing, while (though) pressure is in it, is it (the physical frame)
only
there’s nothing outside — man kneeling horizontal lying in snowing outside — for oneself kneeling in intense action.
he’s only overflowing on rim as sky not snowing
where sky’s snowing overflowing
bow encrusted trees — not snowing — man’s horizontal lying while waiting, cold — (for oneself kneeling) — is sky being split, as: ‘not’ snowing
his is overflowing rim of sky — in undercutting