‘Can’t’ is ‘Night’

Leslie Scalapino

My text is for June Watanabe, Pauline Oliveros, Anshin Uchida, Toyoji Tomita,Shoko Hikage, and Philip Gelb in a collaboration with their dance and music.

[To hear Leslie Scalapino reading this work on Rob Holloway’s London radio program Up For Air, please return to the previous index page and download the sound file.]

 


 (1)                                            re — separation of character and

                                                                                                                        night.

 ‘no language’ ‘with it’ — movement or language, here

 

 

(2)                                            the real-time event (occurring) is the only thing there is/ ‘was

they’ve destroyed language so we have to destroy it in it not

movement

night exists at day — but is not the same night so

night is not-existing then then is open to the senses

                         she (someone) says our language is to remove boundless character of

night,

that’s terror.                                                                             when?

their ‘lie’ — as that one’s

is to substitute for night, hers night ‘terror’ — say how ______. to

                                                reverse ‘their’ reverse of the boundless character of night can’t be

                                                                                                                                           said

                                                                                                                        or moved either

                                    even though outside

                                                blues can’t exist outside either — as separation of character and

                                                                                                                                    night.

                                                                                     so it’s separation of character and night 2

 

 

(3)                                            our prisoner                                                                             

                                                was found on the ground outside standing before Bagram U.S.

military prison in Afghanistan which we’ve decimated, lie to, for

      something they didn’t do — 

                                                                             the U.S. military                          take him in

                                                beat him to death, prisoners who interrogated chained hang while

                                                                                    ‘our’ marines beat them to keep them   

      awake if they fall asleep when hanging there

present —blues can’t exist outside — or in character

no night being — as woman who

                                                                        says ‘our’ language is to reverse

night’s

                                                                    being — without edge — any night

 terror

                                                                         he’d committed no crime standing outside might

                                                                                                                                            be

                                                                                                                                     terrorist

    her separation of ‘our’ language from any real-

         time night

   order

           

 

 

 

 

 

(4)                                            Major Elizabeth Rouse, pathologist, checked the homicide box

to say he was murdered by U.S. military —events don’t fit

                         in, at all — aren’t in language either —  Major Elizabeth Rouse

             told the truth   

blues can’t exist outside now for

      night is not-existing then then is open to the senses to

                        newspapers say (their corpses) one Iraqi man walks                                                                                                      forward holds his AK47

above his head, he defies our huge army somehow to walk to it

what’s he thinking? as our soldiers kill him in movement he                                                                                                         can’t do

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5)                                                        says

                                                            after the person’s attack on one in his

                                                            saying one’s motion — is fixed, fixing it — where its

                                                                                                                                    intent

                                                                        is to have no place its motion is its theory

                                                                                                                                          he

                                                       says the motion is one’s fixed self, which, if one speaks, one

                                                                                                   he says ‘imagines’ attack of his

                                                                                                                           on one, that is

                                                                        that (is his reverse of one and others)

he says one is self-centered in seeing it — not one is seeing his

actions outside in fact — so, there is no event, no real-time

— at all in that their/his language changes it always — is then

only

not its past action — or occurrence now

                                                                          separation of thinking and being

            the same is occurring outside ‘from’ war they make saying to them

it’s liberating them not attacking

         before, our language is only coercion, in every conversation reverse

                    event — any except

                                                                               themselves in ‘our’ language

        — in space at all — language is then

 

 

 

 

(6)                                since

an event’s — not language — separation of character

                                                                                                            and

night — is outside movement’s — separation of character and

                                                                                                            night 2

day. as. bud ‘dis-placing’ is

lineage. — both. (both the bud and ‘dis-placing’) single is ‘tree’s’

buds

there

                                            day. “we dropped a few civilians, but what do you do?” the sniper

         says “1 Iraqi soldier and 25 women and children, I didn’t take the

     shot,

                                                            but 1 Iraqi soldier standing among 2 or 3 civilians,”

                                                            sharp-shooter Sergeant Schrumpf remembering the

                                                            woman going down — “the chick was in the way”

                                                events are against movement                                     can’t be in

                                                one’s movement                                  

            ‘dis-placing’ terror by killing. not movement dis-placing language

            the Kurds just move in that space

                                                                 waves on a line across it (‘we’ve’) courted to fight and

                                                                   dropped them to be, were, slaughtered again court

                                                                                    to have them attack on the lands

                                                        where they’re slaughtered then wave on lines on one side in

space ‘we’

                                                label them freedom fighters on the line’s other side the same

            ones ‘we’ label terror

                                         ists

                               as words labels space—one— is there difference between the

‘basic space of                        phenomena’

     and

        the space of planets

    moon

                                                                                                   outside

        movement?

 

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7)                                “I expected them to surrender I thought they would all capitulate.”

                                                                        in the 3 days that followed,

                                                they did not. — many of the Iraqis, Sergeant Redmond

                                                said, attacked headlong into the cutting fire of tanks

                                                            and Bradley fighting vehicles

                                                            “I wouldn’t call it bravery,” he

 

                                                            said. “I’d call it stupidity. we value a

                                                            soldier’s life so much more than they

                                                            do. an AK47 isn’t going to do

                                                            nothing against a Bradley”

                                    since we’re to reverse with ‘our’ language — boundless

                                                                                                            characteristic of night

                                                                                                     as                         day order

Iraqis are fighting          tanks, aircraft, artillery, prison camps, torture

                                    Sergeant Redmond thinks that’s stupid. for him relation

                                                                                                of language to movement: is

                                                                                                                                       none?

                                    the relation of language to movement is: ‘none’ in order to make

that                                                                                relation — there

                                                                                                the only chance they have is

    at all

    night

 

 

 

 

 

(8)                                            the phrase

‘the basic space of phenomena’ is different from night space?

                                                                                         night’s in

                        event is ‘the basic space of phenomena’ before occurrence

                                                                              of the phenomena

                                                                                        ‘we’re’ ‘our’

language is to reverse the boundless characteristic of night,

she (someone) says,                                       to reverse night’s

night is everywhere fierce fighting in Kut the south where

                                                                                            desperate

Iraqis armed with rifles charged tanks in suicide

                                                                                               raid. ‘we’

        mowed them down

                                                says Lt. Col. B.P. McCoy — tracer rounds                    lit night

                                                                                                                                          sky

                                                                                                                                         there

                                                the battalion arrived after dark and settled

                                                                                                                     down for the night

                                                night is in the newspaper page only

 

 

 

(9)                                                                                                        with no

                                                                                                warning shot, fire killing

                                    family of fifteen — or they fight ‘our’ tanks with AK47s

            from pick-up trucks ‘ours’ say those others are only lied to,  not

brave                                                                            in ‘our’ movement

(10)                                          there is no way (‘reason’) to live, following the day. I thought.

                                                                        our’ language is to (she says) reverse —

                                    the ‘basic space of phenomena’ (phrase) and the space of planets moon’s

                                                                                                                                not outside

 

 

 

(11)                                                      he characterizes ‘our’ enemy, Iraqis, as murderers,

                                                                        cowards, thugs — and he praises the U.S. force

                                                for their kindness and goodness.            their Iraqi bodies lay

along the road. living these are all across night, they cross night, are

       not

       its

                                                                                                                                    character

                                                                                                                          to reverse trees

                                                    marines came and Iraqis left so quickly left cooking fires alight

                                                                                                   and their guns they need them

                                       Baghdad plunges into darkness                                            can’t be.

                                                                   ‘our’ war everywhere — isn’t/is — in ‘our’ language

                                                                                                                        in movement of

       one

 

 

 

 

 

(12)                                                                  has made living impossible. any way. ‘they’

                                                                                                                                    destroy

                                                                                                                      language. destroy

                                                                                                                                         night

                                                                                                                fight with your hands

                                                                                    they exhorted           the Iraqi people

                                                                                    the Kurds just move in that space

                                                            waves on a line across it (‘we’ve’) courted to fight and

                                                            dropped them to be, were, slaughtered again

                                                we’ have nowhere ahead — either —any way.

                                                                           she says ‘our’ language is to reverse the bound

                                                                                                           less characteristic of night

                                                                                                                                              to

                                                    destroy night to — without language — in it — two — outside

 

 

 

            (13)                                                                                          destroy that language

                                                                                                                                    for that

                                                                                                                                    night

 

                                                                                                                                    there

 

 

 

 

(14)                                                      this isn’t about suffering we’d be suffering if ‘we’ were

                                                                                                   happy

             she (someone) says ‘our’ language is reverse of the bound

                                                                                  less that’s terrorist

                                     terror characteristic of night’s everything

              in my language / is ‘ours’ only —  to enter the boundless

                                                                                                     night

                                                                                                    night’s

                                                                            without language any

basic space of phenomena’s not outside or in — is it there

     also?

    a man (someone) says a (this) syntax is a state of being

                                             insanity — but it’s attention only — to itself 

            I thought attention, and as its subject, cannot be insane? or

             may be breaking ‘his’ reason this                                   now phenomena

                                                              ‘our’ being ‘happy’ (emotion that’s convention) is ‘ours’

                                                                                                                                            not

                                                                                                           in events outside is insane

                                                                                   the outside and the inside cannot be there

                                                                                   in ‘our’ character? if it is uncompounded

                                                            or re — in attention (one cannot be regarding), either —

                                                                                                                                           that

                                                                                                        separation of character and

     night

                                                                                                                  night cannot be seen

                                                                regarding is separation of one from others            only

here                                                                  not-regarding

collective now — having driven the Iraqis insane

attention now is insane — is dependent on the separation

        of character and night 2, not in movement— either — them

        in ‘our’ thought, language, ‘our’ movement is before

      (language) and later.

                                                                                      the civilians had to be killed on the road

             fleeing Baghdad because they were there as

  ‘we’re’ (invading) 

            — is not ‘our’ movement in that it has occurred already —

                                               

           

                                                                                               

 

(15)                                                      the breaking of reason not inside movement of

                                                                                                                                         one’s

                                                                               moon and movement — of one’s or

                                                            at all (and moon) — is the breaking of reason.

                                                                                                                        one’s is ‘theirs’

 

 

 

 

 

(01)                                                                  it’s ‘not repeated’ — ‘to produce’ —that is:

‘be-dualistic’ — at all

                                                                                    is                                       night’s space

                                                                                    even —                                                       not

                                                                         their — that’s outside — despair is one’s physical

                                                                                                                        movement bud’s

                                                                                                                                    lineage

                                                                                                                                    outside

                                                                                                                                    at once

                                                                       on one night

 

 

 

 

(02)                                                                                                                 to reverse

                                                                      ‘our’ language’s reverse of nights night-boundless-

                                                                        ness                                          or movement

                                                                                                                                    of/in

                                                                        one’s — disintegrating also —                         

skin that’s movement only                     then

                                                            ‘can’t’

                                                            is

                                                                                                                                    ‘night’

 

 

 

(16)                                                       their despair is one’s physical movement (not).

                                                                   language is

                                                                   crushed.

“2                     Iraqis sat in despair.” after their dead

                                                            coincide with night after

          (and after night’s over). the breaking of reason — a

       man seeing.

 

 

 

 

 

            (17)                                                      as if by favoring war

                                                                                                                     is meant its reverse

                                                                                                                              reverse trees

                                                                                                                                    (that are)

                                                                                                                     night characteristic

                                                                     I can’t see/comprehend it’s (before night) ‘the basic

                                                                                                                 space of phenomena’

                                                                        phrase

                                                                he’s been reversed in language — ‘we’re’ ‘killing as its

reverse’

                                                                      ‘our’ character is even in night_________ say how?

                                                                                                                       

 

(18)                                                                  the breaking of reason

                                                                                is silent seeing             movement (of one’s)

                                                                                                language

                                                            since these ’re in utter isolation only,                  that is

                                                            everyone

                                                                                                                                            is

                                                            as language                                      as social/and dawn.

                                                            their despair is one’s physical movement (not).

 

 

(19)                                                      long movement (single)              does not repeat

                                                                                                the outside

‘isn’t’/ ‘is’ the same as ‘his’ night crushing language

        of one — night’s

                                                                                                                             space even?

he/someone else intends actual

sky even to reverse its night/as language/one not —

                                                            while (one) dawn-waking actually (‘at’ dawn yet one there

      also)

                                                                                                dawn in the same space

                                                                                                as one                                     is.      

                                                            someone/it’s not possible for him to do any thing even

                                                                  without attacking someone else first,                           he can’t,

                                                            he’s never done so.                                          defensive

                                                                                                                                          is

                                                            be-dualistic

                                                 he can’t stand (in front of others) without first

                                                                                                          attacking someone what is

                                                 this space                                            (in front of others)?

                                                            he can’t sustain

                                                            others because he

                                                                           will not.                                                  ‘then’

                                                                                                                                      present.

                                                            isn’t reason — reason is insane

                                                                                                 movement of one’s

                                                                                                 is theirs

                                                                                                                        their despair              

                                                            already                                                             it?

                                                            that space/social even and not dualistic isn’t

    even

                                                                                    because that would be dualistic,

                                                            it                               night sky would.          ‘be-dualistic’

                                                                                                       in               nights not mirror

                                                            and:      ‘our’ tyrant makes/‘is’ the war expanding in

                                                            an outside the outside breaking reason                                                                           is —

                                                            ‘isn’t’/ ‘is’ — the same as ‘his’ night crushing language

          of one — night’s

                                                space even.                                          long movement (single)

sky even to reverse its night/as language/‘one not’ —

                while (one) dawn-waking actually (‘at’

dawn yet one there dawn also

(22)                                                                              A wave is sucked into sleep then

                                                                        the forest is completely separate from the

                                                                        people always —                      outside and

                                                                                                            separate from the war

                                                                                                                                    though

                                                                                    the forest destroyed or growing

                                                                                                                        is in the war

                                                                        the forest is balanced on the night and

                                                                                                        then balanced on the day

                                                                        at the same time. after — is the same time later

                                                                                                        the forest wave if the trees

                                                                                                            are still even on night

                                                                                                       is one wave moving on day

                                                                                                              that’s war whether day

                                                                      appears still. day is in war. separate from the forest

                                                                                                         day still appears. the forest

                                                                                                                is black at night black

                                                                               fire goes away at night though night’s still

                                                                           the dark gangly sleek moose come out and shy

    away

                                                                        vertically                                  

         though one moves

                                                                        across night for long distances wave of

   forest

 

 

(23)                                                                              immense light on the endless lake at

                                                                                                                        night black

                                                                                    the ducks fly across it

                                                                                                                        night vertically

                                                                                    the dark gangly sleek moose roam at

                                                                                                                        will in the forest

                                                                                    wave on the endless still lake

                                                                                                                               never black

                                                                                                                                          then

                                                                                                      the endless lake moves night

                                                                                                                                         black

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(24)                                                                                          the forest rushes to the road

                                                                                                                                    push

                                                                                    steel rumpled thunderous clouds are

                                                                                                                        at the road at

                                                                                    the forest meeting ahead — at one’s side

                                                                                    forest wave rushing horizontally

                                                                                                                                              to

                                                                                    the rumpled steel clouds everywhere ver-

                                                                                                                                       tically

                                                                                         race to the endless lake steel light in it

                                                                                  sky of rain descends everywhere vertically

                                                                                                                                          then

                                                                                     black bear rambles gracefully in the sheets

                                                                                                                      rain-vertical-grass

                                                                                            in day separating night horizontally

                                                                                                                                    above

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            (25)                                                                                  occurrence in structure unseen

                                                                        words on a sign “owl rafting” the

                                                                        dark mist separates morning from night so the

                                                                                                                               forest wave

                                                                                                                               begins

                                                                                                                               to rush

                                                                                                but the forest moved at night

                                                                                                            unseen by one rafting

                                                                        the night rafting the owl, unseen by one, the

forest rafting

                                                                        the owl

      rafting the night forest — one rafting

only                                  and unseen owl-night

at                                                    forest-wave

                                                                        there

                

(26)                                                                          — woman saying our language is to reverse

                                                                                     night — is ‘for’ that — not producing —

                                                                                                 night uncontrolled

                                                                                                 is occurrence in structure unseen

                                                                                                                                    at all

                                                                                    not producing at all — one’s seeing —

                                                                                                            but the forest moved

                                                                                                                                           at

                                                                                                                            night rafting

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: With thanks to Belladonna* Books, New York. Originally published in pamphlet form in November 2003 by Belladonna*: please check their website for details, or contact belladonnaseries@yahoo.com


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