Croak
Jenny Sampirisi
Coach House Books | Toronto
copyright © Jenny Sampirisi, 2011
first edition
This epub edition published in 2011. Electronic ISBN 978 1 77056 301 8.
Published with the generous assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. Coach House Books also acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Sampirisi, Jenny, 1981-
Croak / Jenny Sampirisi.
Poems.
ISBN 978-1-55245-250-9
I. Title.
PS8637.A5385C76 2011–––C811’.6––– C2011-904946-5
If time frightens us, it’s because it works out the problem and the solution comes afterwards.
– Albert Camus
The rapture did come. It always does. This is what it looks like.
– Charles Bernstein’s Facebook status
The Narrators
if time frightens us it’s because it works out the problem (Tuning fork.) and the solution comes afterwards you see it breaks down as things do in an environment over time so is the problem a solute in the solvent of words some metal or adaptive chemical there in the water knocking at the lips translated from English to English in the water or maybe the mud and the solution comes after words (GIRLS: Ha ha!) in even distribution dissolving as it will in a mixture of green to red breaking down as it does (FROGS: Groan.) listen Frog One Frog Zero Girl One Girl Zero making sounds performing actions that wince at the combination of English on English (GIRLS: Ho ho!) or image on image or object on object and we say this or that if it means solving a problem (FROGS: Groan.) that is if time frightens us in English (Tuning fork.) there are actions here that dissolve the question of time and language slash time and the body slash deformity and language green green and red red porous in the mud (Tuning fork.) listen to the croak croak dying (FROGS: Groan.) it’s only a sounding listen to the finger wagging the arm (GIRLS: He he!) and consider order here (Tuning fork.) it upsets these figures that are all misleading (Tuning fork.) listen:
Part One wherein Frogs and Girls limb alone
Part Two wherein they fall in limb
Part Three wherein they die
(FROGS, GIRLS, THE NARRATORS assemble.)
Part One
Limber
The Narrators
(A crackle in the distance.)
so this is the first part the one you’ve got to land on first (GIRLS: 127-18-4. On repeat.) the one you leap to by merit of thumbs though there were numbers before this and you were certain of them we could even return to them now but this is the first first this is the number you’ve got to learn and there are others who have crouched in one one one one they’ve flipped here too it’s a certainty we’re dealing with (FROGS: Brekekekex-koax-koax.) don’t think about the second part we’re not there yet we’re here in part one where your thumb brought you or an index finger you favour more this is the first of firstness you understand the a-priority (GIRLS: Heavy sigh.) are you okay with the others that came before or is sharing a compromise if it is then I’m sorry start again this is the first and you are the first first and no one will ever come again really this is a problem of memory who is the subject or the object who starts I assure you all we have is this moment this moment this one so you start or I start pick your past and your present and use them (GIRLS: 7439-92-1. Once. Loudly.) start here with the
tangibles with the arm the leg we’ve got to count them and the Frogs and the Girls will all act as though nothing has happened and you’ll figure this swallows though we don’t yet coo are you an infant that cries maw maw maw at a finger you mistook for a nipple (GIRLS: Heavy sigh.) the tongue goes in the mouth that’s the first thing on the first page the tongue going nowhere and the Frogs and the Girls will say nothing has happened and they wait for part two and part three where there is hope of limbs and mingled hands where fingers can do more than count (FROGS: Love!) but they are parts too are only parts that work with other parts you see how this is all coming together you see we’re all coming together (GIRLS: Heavy sigh.) or is that a compromise of first firsts this is all a problem one then two then three then then then you are more or less finished and this has all lasted a while a moment you favour more the one arm the one leg the hop hop frog the hop hop girl with their fingers koaxing the page
(The Narrators: Pause. Listening.)
you see how nothing is happening again the tongue goes in the mouth and closes
Frogs
Appendix A. Amphibian limb. Amphibian deformities. Limb deformities. Pond. Pathogen-mediated deformities. Thallium744-28-3. Explained deformities. Appendix B. Amphibian malformation. Studies. Limb segments. Deformities. Girl. Polydactyly. Abnormalities. Appendix C. Limb object. Beryllium7440-41-7. Atypical. Untypical. Nontypical. Unrepresentative. Rare. Isolated. Appendix D. Irregular. Anomalous. Deviant. Divergent. Aberrant. Strange. Crysene218-01-9. Odd. Appendix E. Peculiar. Curious. Bizarre. Weird. Queer. Eccentric. Idiosyncratic. Quirky. Unexpected. Unfamiliar. Unconventional. Appendix F. Lead7439-92-1. Surprising. Unorthodox. Singular. Exceptional. Extraordinary. Out of the ordinary. Out of the way. Appendix G. Unnatural. Perverse. Perverted. Phenol108-95-2. Twisted. Warped. Unhealthy. Distorted.
Girls
(In turn.)
How should we proceed? Fingers are nipples. We face forward and sing here. Have you found the way? We face forward. Hold the place with your thumb. Is it about love? Can you read it? We’ll draw each other out. But we look so strange to ourselves. Who will draw us then? A mouth opening sounds like a hind leg. We face forward. Who says?
The Narrators
(Frog One stands centre stage. Spotlight. Top hat and cane. Tap shoes. The cane may be used as a limb if no other is available. Narrators a cappella. Pause briefly between lines for performance.)
Incomplete Upper Hind Limb: No knee
Multiple Hind Limbs: Complete
Small Lower Jaw with protruding tongue
Bone Bridge: Hind limb
Multiple Fore Limbs: Complete
Extra (complete) Digit(s): Fore limb
Incomplete Lower Hind Limb: No foot
Multiple Hind Limbs: Split
Incomplete Upper Fore Limb: No elbow
Partial Duplication of Digit(s): Hind limb
Incomplete Fore Limb: Partial fore foot (hand)
(Walk off.)
Frogs
This is odd. (Pause. Huff.) There are too many limbs. Why limbs? Why toes on limbs? Why limbs at all? Why fear of limbs? This isn’t deformity. Where are legs? Two legs. Where are elbows? Why nose? Why this instead of houses? Why boxes? Why not explain? Why mention? Why