READIN: as of May 03, 2014

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READIN started out as a place for me to keep track of what I am reading, and to learn (slowly, slowly) how to design a web site.

There has been some mission drift here and there, but in general that's still what it is. Some of the main things I write about here are reading books, listening to (and playing) music, and watching the movies. Also I write about the work I do with my hands and with my head; and of course about bringing up Sylvia.

The site is a bit of a work in progress. New features will come on-line now and then; and you will occasionally get error messages in place of the blog, for the forseeable future. Cut me some slack, I'm just doing it for fun! And if you see an error message you think I should know about, please drop me a line. READIN source code is PHP and CSS, and available on request, in case you want to see how it works.

See my reading list for what I'm interested in this year.

READIN has been visited approximately 236,737 times since October, 2007.

Saturday, May third, 2014

🦋 la Universidad Desconocida: week 2

I presented my chapbook of biblical verse, and got good notes. Primarily -- I should keep my poems short and intense, and resonant; anchor the ideas in imagery; and surprise the reader. The favorite was "Esquéleto":

Esquéleto
Esto son mis huesos
desnudos; vestilos
en carne, inspirámelo
el Espíritu a mí.
Planteá Vos la sembra espiritual
que crezca y florezca profecía
derramámelo
fornicámelo
que sueñe yo los sueños
de iluminación

Readings for next week are Latin American vanguard poems, a beautiful selection (which somehow manages to omit Pasos and Cuadras).

posted morning of May third, 2014: 1 response
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Sunday, April 27th, 2014

🦋 Para hacer retrato de un alondro del cielo

Para hacer retrato de un alondro del cielo

por J Osner

Piensa primero una jaula
con la puerta abierta
--Jacques Prévert

pero la alondra no se deja captar, tampoco en la jaula cantará
ni en el lienzo del pintor; ni
en la página blanca del poeta. Los silbidos trinantes
de mid-80's video games
se oyen encima del campo
y se desvanecen; fugaces
como toda hermosa

posted afternoon of April 27th, 2014: 1 response
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🦋 two more

both very much still works in progress; I'm liking the progress...

Bienvenida

por J Osner

Pues imaginÃ¡
escena
de atardecer---es
casi oscuro
pero
no podrÃas dar nÃºmero
ni asignar nombre
a los mil tonos
de sombra que se efrentan
a tus ojos
mentales
pero recordalas
estas rayas de falta
de color
porque son
tu alma

La ontogenia recapitula la filogenia

por J Osner

Cada lectura del poema recapitula
las dudas y incertidumbres
los desasosiegos del autor
en que consiste
su escritura
como Ã¡rbol se crece el poema
de la haz de la pÃ¡gina fecunda
sembrada con sentido
consiste el poema
en ramificaciones
del sentido original
cada vez multiplicÃ¡ndose
hasta que
no se puede decir
en cuÃ¡les ramas
se van a florecer
la hermosura y la perspicacia
ni quÃ© van a significar
y cada lectura recapitula
esta procesa de derivaciÃ³n -- saltÃ¡
y agarrÃ¡
la rama principal; asÃ se empezarÃa
tu ascenso
Tus manos carecen
corteza Ã¡spera del texto
los carecen a tus ojos
los contornos suaves
de la letra
y a tus oÃdos los sonidos broncos
del incertidumbre del poeta

posted afternoon of April 27th, 2014: Respond
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Saturday, April 26th, 2014

🦋 La presa (II)

La presa

por J Osner

Las lÃneas suaves y lÃquidas
del poema
se deslizan en su corriente
entre rumor de historia antigua
entre voces que a uno le reavivan la memoria
de conocidos -- Ãntimos
y mÃ¡s distantes --
y quizÃ¡ tambiÃ©n de extranjeros --
sobre una presa dura
de emociones
una estructura intelectual que debe mostrarselo
a travÃ©s del corriente rÃ¡pido
de sonidos
pero
nunca tan claramente
porque nunca estÃ¡n identicas
ni pueden serlo
la forma y la intenciÃ³n
y la una oscurece a la otra

como piedras
en el lecho del rÃo
se parecen los attributos
del poema
como un canto
cuyas letras se deben ignorar
para entenderlo

posted evening of April 26th, 2014: Respond
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🦋 Readings for week 2

I'm finding this week's readings for the Universidad Desconocida much more engaging than last week's. Check it out:

Fernando Pessoa, "Poema de canciÃ³n sobre la esperanza"
T.S. Eliot, "Burnt Norton"
Anna Akhmatova, "RÃ©quiem"
Eugenio Montale, "Sestear palido y absorto"
Federico GarcÃa Lorca, "Romance de la luna"
Jacques PrÃ©vert, "Para hacer el retrato de un pÃ¡jaro"
Robert Desnos, "Tanto soÃ±Ã© contigo"
Luis Cernuda, "Si el hombre pudiera decir lo que ama"
W.H. Auden, "MusÃ©e des beaux artes" (in a beatiful translation by JosÃ© Emilio Pacheco)
Miguel HernÃ¡ndez, "El niÃ±o yuntero"
Dylan Thomas, "And Death Shall Have No Dominion"
Paul Celan, "Todesfugue"
Philip Larkin, "This Be the Verse" (another quite excellent translation, by Enrique Winter)
Wislawa Szymborska, "Lectura"

posted afternoon of April 26th, 2014: Respond
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Thursday, April 24th, 2014

🦋 la Universidad Desconocida: week 1

Had a little trouble following the discussion of the readings in more than fragments. Read a classmate's beautiful poem "Lullaby for insomniacs," remembering and mourning for her mother. I presented my poem "un ejercicia en la forma pronominal" and got some really valuable notes. The title is not really a title to speak of and the quote from Leiris needs to go -- Enrique Winter recommended I cut a few lines at the end.

But people really seemed to appreciate the poem and find it amusing. Ran out of time before we could read another classmate's poem, I'm going to read that now.

posted evening of April 24th, 2014: Respond
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Saturday, April 19th, 2014

🦋 Versos bíblicos: Poemario

I've started putting together a chapbook of poems based on Biblical verses -- using as a core the poems I've been posting lately under the tag book:bible. It's looking interesting! I'll present the chapbook at the taller de poesía en la Universidad Desconocida. The contents (currently -- I am hoping to write at least one more poem this weekend):

"Profetizarse" -- quotes from Genesis, John. Invocation of God asking for His Word.
"Caminos de la carne y del EspÃritu" -- quotes from Romans, Psalms. Dialog between flesh and Spirit.
"Vete y haz lo mismo" -- quotes from Luke. Meditation on the parable of the good Samaritan.
"Tíramela" -- quotes from Leviticus, John. Meditation on casting the first stone.
(untitled) -- quote from Ecclesiastes.
"insensible" -- quote from Matthew.
(untitled) -- Meditation on prophesy with reference to Joel.
"Esqueleto" -- Meditation on prophesy.
"Lo que diría la esposa de Lot" by Karen Finneyfrock.