*poem* Just...now
#13 of Poetry
"Live in the NOW," they say.
"Now" Is the only singularity you can occupy.
It passes by and becomes something else
before you even have the time to describe it
But what if "now" was the only thing that was?
with no future to fear
and no past to mull over
or grow nostalgic about ?
Here's a poem about a never-ending
"now", and the poet's duty of catching
what is uncatchable.
THIS POEM HAS THE PROPERTIES
EXISTENCE WOULD HAVE
IF DEATH HAD NOT EXISTED
IF TIME ARRIVED AND DIDN'T PASS
LIKE A LIQUID, IT WOULD OCCUPY ALL
EVERY DIFFERENCE WOULD EXIST
AND CARRY ON AS TRUTH
ALL OPPOSITES COLLAPSE
AND EVERY EXCEPTION BECOME THE RULE.
ANYTHING WOULD HAPPEN
JUST A MOMENT AGO
AND SPIRAL INTO REPETITION
OF EXACTLY THE SAME VALUE AND VOLUME
AS THE EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE
JUST...
NOW
SET LOOSE WITHOUT DIFFERENCES ONTO THIS UNENDING PLANE
WE STAND POWERLESS
AGAINST THE PRESENT AND ITS REPETITIONS
EXCEPT BY GIVING IT NAMES
THAT (IN TURN) SWALLOW IT.
THE WORDS WOULD NOT EXPLORE THEIR OBJECTS OR MEANING
AND NEVER GAIN SOMETHING NEW THROUGH THIS
THE LANGUAGE WOULD LOSE ITS DUALITY
SYNTAX LOSE ITS ALTERNATIVE
THROUGH USAGE, THE LANGUAGE WOULD SOON BE FULFILLED
BUT ALWAYS AND ONLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE.
ANY WORK WOULD DECONSTRUCT ITS OWN PRODUCT
AND DECONSTRUCTION BECOME THE NEW.
ANY PRODUCTION OF RELEVANCE WOULD BECOME AN IMPOSSIBILITY
WHEN EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS NOVEL
BUT LACKING REFERENCES
AND HAVING NO BACKGROUND TO SPEAK OF
NOT EVEN REPETITION WOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS SUCH.
MEMORY WOULD NOT EXIST
AND WE WOULD BE FORCED TO REPEAT BEGINNINGS
AND ENDS
FOR ONE NEVER ARRIVING ETERNITY
WITH NO WAY OF GROWING TIRED, OLD OR DYING
FOR WHEN TIME ONLY ARRIVES AND ARRIVES
WHAT IS LEFT TO DIE FROM?
IF TIME ARRIVED AND DIDN'T PASS
WE COULD GREET IT WITH NON-EXISTENCE
ONLY EXISTENCE ISOLATES TIME
AND MAKES UP FOR DIFFERENCES
THEN ESTABLISHES THE NEW.
THROUGH EXISTENCE ONLY,
WE PREVENT EVERYTHING FROM DISAPPEARING INTO ITS OWN NAME,
WE'RE POETS
WE FIGHT TO KEEP LANGUAGE
INSUFFICIENT