EVENING WILL COME: A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF POETICS (ISSUE 14: FEBRUARY 2012)

Brenda Hillman                   (page 3)
A BRUTAL ENCOUNTER RECOLLECTED IN TRANQUILITY
                             a poetics essay from November 9, 2011


We have taken an experiment outdoors. Our writing accommodates uncertainty but most people prefer certainty, which is why writers become depressed. Later the place where the police put their truncheons hurts when we make love & we will make love outside of time. Go home to your families we naively shout & try to study the badges in our section; later we recall one of the cops was named Young & another was named Hart.

Euclid says nonexistent points can make a line we all agree exists. Your writing offers recovery from nonexistence & one cure for depression is action. Writing may be your most necessary action but can’t be the only one. If you find yourself on the dirt with feelers it is good to get back underground. The ants reach other ants at the edge of the lawn; they pass the message along.

                                   for JG, BH, GO, & RS

Note: A video from the Occupy Cal incident can be found here.



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