FABLE
Tom Sleigh
But where, oh where is the holy idiot,
truth teller and soothsayer, familiar
of spirits, rat eater, unhouseled wanderer
whose garble and babble fill rich and poor,
homeless and housed, with awe and fear?
Is he hiding in the pit of the walkie-talkie,
its grid of holes insatiably hungry,
almost like a baby, sucking in the police sergeant's
quiet voice as he calls in reinforcements?
Oh holy idiot, is that you sniffing the wind
for the warm turd smell on the mounted policemen
backing their horses' quivering, skittish
haunches into the demonstrators' faces?
Oh little village among the villages,
the wild man, the holy Bedlamite is gone,
and nobody, now, knows where to find him...
Lying in mud? lying caked in mud, hair elfed into knots?
Some poor mad Tom roving the heath
for a warm soft place to lie his body down,
his speech obsessed with oaths, demons,
his tongue calling forth the Foul Fiend, Flibbertigibbet
as the horses back slowly, slowly into the crowd
and he eats filth, he crams his ravenous mouth with filth—
and then he sits on his stool in the trampled hay
and deep-rutted mud, he anoints himself
with ashes and clay, he puts on his crown
of fumiter weed and holds his scepter
of a smouldering poker and calls the court to order.
1/carry with these grids they are wonderful
ReplyDelete2/the assertion that it is NOT kate bush in the pic is denied by one large language model - their response seems plausible to me - it IS bush, but the alligator is not a living animal, apparently - full answer:
Kathy Acker was an influential American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, and postmodern writer known for her radical and often controversial works. Born in 1947 and passing away in 1997, her most famous works include "Blood and Guts in High School" and "Great Expectations." She was known for blending autobiography with fiction, often exploring themes of identity, sexuality, and power dynamics.
Regarding the photo in question, the confusion between Kate Bush and Kathy Acker arises from a 1979 photograph by Dutch photographer Claude Vanheye. This image shows a woman in a bright yellow ballgown in an underground car park with an alligator on a leash, credited to Vanheye from a session in Amsterdam:
The Woman in the Photo: This is indeed Kate Bush, not Kathy Acker. The photo is well-documented as part of a series Vanheye took with Kate Bush, where she is seen in various outfits by the designer Fong Leng, including the yellow dress in the underground car park. Information on the web confirms that Kate Bush was photographed by Vanheye in 1979 for this unique and playful photoshoot, which was known for its eccentricity and the use of props like a fake crocodile.
Misidentification: The claim by
@gaddisghost
.bsky.social that it's Kathy Acker in a wig appears to be misinformation. There is no evidence from the available sources or credible photography archives that Kathy Acker was involved in this particular photoshoot. Kathy Acker's style and public persona were quite different from the portrayal in the photo, which aligns more with Kate Bush's known aesthetic and her penchant for theatrical and artistic expressions.
Photo Details: The photograph was taken in an underground car park in Amsterdam, with Kate Bush wearing a Fong Leng dress, and the alligator is noted to be a prop. This session is celebrated for its creativity and has been referenced in various articles and posts about Kate Bush's early career.
In conclusion, while Kathy Acker was a significant figure in literature, the person in the photo is Kate Bush. The confusion might stem from a mix-up or an attempt at humor or misinformation, but based on available documentation and descriptions of the photoshoot, Kate Bush is the subject of this particular image from 1979.
tom sleigh's fable reminds me of a passage from todd rundgren's song "fascist christ"
ReplyDeleteJesus and money make a man speak in tongues
Scream out his lungs, roll in the dung
And when the song is sung, he moves up another rung
And the deaf and the dumb are the ones who get stung
my cyberinformant, in response to my question, tells me
The reference you're likely thinking of is from the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Specifically, in Ezekiel 4:9-15, God instructs Ezekiel to perform a symbolic act involving dung:
Ezekiel 4:9-12 describes Ezekiel being commanded to bake barley cakes over human excrement as a sign to the Israelites of the hardships they would face due to their sins. However, Ezekiel protests this command on the grounds of ritual purity. Ezekiel 4:14-15: After Ezekiel's objection, God modifies the instruction, allowing Ezekiel to use cow dung instead of human excrement for the baking of his bread.
So, while Ezekiel does not "roll in" dung, he is instructed to use it symbolically in his prophetic actions, which was meant to signify the defilement or the harsh conditions of exile that would come upon the people of Israel. This passage is often discussed in theological contexts for its vivid symbolic imagery and the message it conveys about obedience, purity, and the consequences of sin.
They won't let me take my emotional support Giant Boa Constrictor on domestic flights. International flights, okay, because "who cares what happens on non-U.S. carriers" -- but, now that there's Ebola in New York there are other carriers to be concerned about. Anything for the Yucks but the going is hard.
ReplyDeleteAll These Days suddenly remind me of the conversation between Fafnir and Giblets where the boat was on fire, and sinking, which was Old Business, and the New Business was hey why is it so hot in here?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casabianca_(poem)
ReplyDeleteCasabianca
by Felicia Hemans
The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle's wreck
Shone round him o'er the dead.
Yet beautiful and bright he stood,
As born to rule the storm;
A creature of heroic blood,
A proud, though childlike form.
The flames roll'd on...he would not go
Without his father's word;
That father, faint in death below,
His voice no longer heard.
He call'd aloud..."Say, father,say
If yet my task is done!"
He knew not that the chieftain lay
Unconscious of his son.
"Speak, father!" once again he cried
"If I may yet be gone!"
And but the booming shots replied,
And fast the flames roll'd on.
Upon his brow he felt their breath,
And in his waving hair,
And looked from that lone post of death,
In still yet brave despair;
And shouted but one more aloud,
"My father, must I stay?"
While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud
The wreathing fires made way,
They wrapt the ship in splendour wild,
They caught the flag on high,
And stream'd above the gallant child,
Like banners in the sky.
There came a burst of thunder sound...
The boy-oh! where was he?
Ask of the winds that far around
With fragments strewed the sea.
With mast, and helm, and pennon fair,
That well had borne their part;
But the noblest thing which perished there
Was that young faithful heart.
Felicia Dorothea Hemans (25 September 1793 – 16 May 1835) was an English poet (who identified as Welsh by adoption). Regarded as the leading female poet of her day, Hemans was immensely popular during her lifetime in both England and the United States, and was second only to Lord Byron in terms of sales.
Two of her opening lines, "The boy stood on the burning deck" and "The stately homes of England", have acquired classic status.
in 2011 someone wrote:
Various parodies of this once-famous poem have entered popular culture, and the one which made most impact on me when I was a boy (during the mid-20th century) was
The boy stood on the burning deck
Eating peanuts by the peck
The fire was hot -
His toes were toasted -
He didn't care, he liked them roasted.
Then, of course, we have the Buddha's metaphor of being trapped in a burning house as analogous to the plight of a sentient being incarnated in an inevitably mortal body.
May the Creative Forces of the Universe have mercy on our souls, if any.
https://tinyurl.com/downwiththeship