#155 The Ladder of Fire

He had noted the
nesting order—how
the paper fit in-
side the bell of the
tuba & it, in turn,
rested on the chair—
so that, once this fire
was over, they could
be neatly stored until
the next time he
had need of them.

#154 The Adulation of Space (1)

Try to unfold complex
polyhedra & the
kinetic barriers
create a problem—the
configuration of power
no longer holds when
automata are abstracted
by collapsing their
states. There is between
the universal &
particular a reciprocal
tension that cannot be
confined within an
allocated space. It’s a core
drawback of pattern re-
cognition, made more
so in the figurative
when flesh holds sway.

#153 The Meaning of Night

The man walks
away from him-
self, the woman
hides in her hair.

They ignore each
other. Wherever
they are, neither
is dressed for it.

All around there
are fallen clouds.
There is no moon,
faint light, the man

casts a shadow. The
woman cannot
see it. It is night
inside her hair.

#152 La Ruse symétrique

At 4.30 he
brought
the clothes in
off the

line. A
nightdress
was missing;
so, too, his

mother. Weeks
later they
were found,
water-logged

& with a
symmetry
she never
had in life.

#151 Les Six éléments

As of this
writing, there

are 137 Magritte
items available

on eBay. They are
mundanely pre-

sented—none of
the six elements

that Aristotle con-
sidered essential

for drama are
in the frame.

#150 L’Amour désarmé

The key-
words—

Clothing, Military, People, Religion, Transportation, Headwear, Army, Adults, Groups, Naked People, Woman, Women, Christianity, Religious, Land, Hats, Soldiers, Christian, Cart, Wearing, Clothes, Armed Forces, Transport, Head Wear, Adult, Group, Naked, Nude, Female, Lady, Females, Ladies, troops, Combatants, Kneeling, Tying, Weapons, Outdoor, Helmets, Armour, Swords, Square, Kneel, Kneels, Outside, Outdoors, Exterior, Exteriors, Open air, Openair, Armor, Weapon, Sword, Triumph of Chastity, Love, Disarmed, Bound, edifying, historical legendary, Petrucci palace, Penelope, Suitors, Rome, Signorelli, Trionfi, Triumphs, god of love, bound by Laura, ideal, chaste, Petrarch's poetry, Lucretia, chaste heroines of antiquity, heroes, Romans, Caesar, Scipio Africanus, exhibits, prisoner, triumphal car, victory, tied, path, arrest, caught, chasing, wings, virtue

—are else-
where.

#149 L’Île au trésor

Birds
in / the trees
are / the trees;
leaves &
trunk.

If I repeat this definition I'm no more than a parrot. One must come up with an equivalent. —René Magritte

Trees
in / the birds
are / the birds;
feathers &
wings.

Puisqu'on ne peut changer la direction du vent, il faut apprendre à orienter les voiles. —James Dean

Trees
are, birds
are:
feathers &
trunk.

I don't like treasure voyages on any account, & I don't like them, above all, when they are secret & when the secret has been told to the parrot. — Robert Louis Stevenson

The icon-
ography
changes. The
Germans
are in Paris.

#148 The Promised Land (1)

I don't know what the
19^th century saw in
the letter S. Perhaps
its classic look re-
minded them of the
sex & violence that
were once associated
with pressed metal
ceilings. These days
even the private space
of public figures
is made from wood.

#147 The Night Watch

i. The endocrinology

I stroll out to Wilshire Boulevard.
A group of part-time soldiers are setting out on parade.
There are bits missing.
A lot of raw fish has a tendency to do that.
"I'm a NASCAR fan," she said at a
birthday party in little osaka one recent night.

ii. The interval between first & second sleep

Marie-Ange sounded determined.
It was reflected in
her elegant handcuffs.

iii. Prolactin, a pituitary hormone

There's no longer a difference between theatre & shadow—
“I saw Brazil last night, Terry Gillem. Never saw it before. It was boring. I had to watch Chronicles of Riddick to clear my head of thagt junk.”
Today I get to prep for a colonoscopy.

iv. Unlike meditation

Montanna's
just a
pathetic
wannabe troll
with no sense.

v. Altered consciousness

He prepared a candle-lit gourmet dinner
that would end up being eaten
by the mangy dog on the front lawn.

vi. Benign states

The babysitter got bored & went to watch TV.

#146 La Tempête

She is everywhere but
               here, the naked woman
          who / dresses like a bank
                     clerk, infatuated by the
          costumes of the era of
     the play. Elsewhere the
                     art is concert, is full
          of irrepressible gypsies
                           who blaze with hothouse
passion, & men who swim
                     for twenty hours in
          sideways rain & seas
                                     as tall as magnesium.

#145 The Universe Unmasked

Featureless cubes
     with facile inter-
weaving are the
true building blocks
     of the universe.
Carbon is outdated.