Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

bring forth ye shadow

time is an abyss -
profound as a thousand nights;
i sojourn my haste, i make respites
for what availeith this eager pace?
one step more naught to face,
save the heirloom fatal kiss.

i rave no more 'gainst time or fate,
for lo! my own shall ne'er come to me,
yet! - who doth my future narrate?
dim the lights - i cannot see!
bring forth ye shadow! -
with whom danceth thou?

time hath stopp'd -
yet for others ne'er halteth;
for me the pages of life do not turn,
lo! - on the funeral pyre they burn.
the oh so eathing velvet darkness they fear -
heed! - wherefore delve a burrow,
when in my arms "o! come here"? -
i say, elsewhither is naught but sorrow!

for what deemest thou so dear thy blood
when through my veins it could flood? -
bide to merry - make me unaptly;
and hence grant me the fell gift,
the gift of passing on the dark trick.
'tis such a brazen act of erotic;
trifle for thee, yet for me grandly thrift,
o! such an innocence depriv'd so hastily -

alas, for what deemest thou so dear thy blood
when through my veins it will flood?

by raymond

Monday, November 27, 2006

coffee


by davis

Sunday, November 26, 2006

golden leaves?


through my window - one week later

Saturday, November 25, 2006

bärlach

er stand unbeweglich und erwartete den feind, der gekommen war, ihn zu töten. sein auge bohrte sich in den ungewissen ausschnitt der türe. er wartete. alles war still, leblos. dann schlug die uhr im korridor: drei. er horchte. leise hörte er von ferne das ticken der uhr. irgendwo hupte ein automobil, dann fuhr es vorüber. leute von einer bar. einmal glaubte er, atmen zu hören, doch mußte er sich getäuscht haben. so stand er da, und irgendwo in seiner wohnung stand der andere, und die nacht war zwischen ihnen, diese geduldige, grausame nacht, die unter ihrem schwarzen mantel die tödliche schlange barg, das messer, das sein herz suchte. der alte atmete kaum. er stand da und umklammerte die waffe, kaum daß er fühlte, wie kalter schweiß über seinen nacken floß. er dachte an nichts mehr, nicht mehr an gastmann, nicht mehr an lutz, auch nicht mehr an die krankheit, die an seinem leiben fraß, stunde um stunde, im begriff, das leben zu zerstören, das er nun verteidigte, voll gier zu leben und nur zu leben. er war nur noch ein auge, das die nacht durchforschte, nur noch ein ohr, das den kleinsten laut überprüfte, nur noch eine hand, die sich um das kühle metall der waffe schloß. doch nahmer endlich die gegenwart des mörders anders wahr, als er geglaubt hatte; er spürte an seiner wange eine ungewisse kälte, eine geringe veränderung der luft. lange konnte er sich das nicht erklären, bis er erriet, daß sich die türe, die vom schlafzimmer ins eßzimmer führte, geöffnet hatte. der fremde hatte seine überlegung zum zweiten male durchkreuzt, er war auf einem umweg ins schlafzimmer gedrungen, unsichtbar, unhörbar, unaufhaltsam, in der hand das schlangemesser. bärlach wußte nun, daß er den kampf beginnen, daß er zuerst handeln mußte, er, der alte, todkranke mann, den kampf um ein leben, das noch ein jahr dauern konnte, wenn alles gut ging, wenn hungertobel gut und richtig schnitt.

by dürrenmatt - der richter und sein henker

Friday, November 24, 2006

das verbrechen

was diskutieren wir denn damals, bärlach, im moder jener schenke in der vorstadt tophane, eingehüllt in den qualm türkischer zigaretten? deine these war, daß die menschliche unvollkommenheit, die tatsache, daß wir die handlungsweise anderer nie mit sicherheit vorauszusagen und daß wir ferner den zufall, der in alles hineinspielt, nicht in unsere überlegungen einzubauen vermögen, der grund sei, der die meisten verbrechen zwangsläufig zutage fördern müsse. ein verbrecher zu begehen nanntest du eine dummheit, weil es unmöglich sei, mit menschen wie mit schachfiguren zu operieren. ich dagegen stellte die these auf, mehr, um zu widersprechen, als überzeugt, daß gerade die verworrenheit der menschlichen beziehungen es möglich mache, verbrechen zu begehen, die nicht erkannt werden könnten, daß aus diesem grunde die überaus größte anzahl der verbrechen nicht ungeahndet, sondern auch ungeahnt seien, als nur im verbogenen geschehen.

by dürrenmatt - der richter und sein henker

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

one thirty-six a.m.

i laugh sometimes when i think about
say
céline at a typewriter
or dostoevsky...
or hamsun...
ordinary men with feet, ears, eyes,
ordinary men with hair on their heads
sitting there typing words
while having difficulties with life
while being puzzled almost to madness.

dostoevsky gets up
he leaves the machine to piss,
comes back
drinks a glass of milk and thinks about
the casino and
the roulette wheel.

céline stops, gets up, walks to the
window, looks out, thinks, my last patient
died today, i won't have to make any more
visits there.
when i saw him last
he paid his doctor bill;
it's those who don't pay their bills,
they live on and on.
céline walks back, sits down at the
machine
is still for a good two minutes
then begins to type.

hamsun stands over his machine thinking,
i wonder if they are going to believe
all these things i write?
he sits down, begins to type.
he doesn't know what a writer's block
is:
he's a prolific son-of-a-bitch
damn near as magnificent as
the sun.
he types away.

and i laugh
not out loud
but all up and down these walls, these
dirty yellow and blue walls
my white cat asleep on the
table
hiding his eyes from the
light.

he's not alone tonight
and neither am
i.

by bukowski

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Monday, November 20, 2006

broken glass

strange vibe
circles round
tries to comfort
buzzing sounds
form an arrow
point at us
we the target
are the one
place your bet
on the best
the fastest source
you can find

drop yourself
in the grass
breathe the air
at last
hold on tight
don't fall down
breathe the air
through the water

form an arrow
point at us
be the target
of the center
find the key
lock the door
close your eyes
for encore

drop yourself
in the grass
breathe the air
at last
hold on tight
hon't you fall down
breathe the air
through the water

find your peace
turn in sight
you're the target
you're the center
find the key
lock the door
close your eyes
for encore

drop yourself
in the grass
breathe the air
at last
hold on tight
don't you fall down
breathe the air
through the water

by van giersbergen

Saturday, November 18, 2006

the arrogance of youth


by watterson

mosquitos

the wasps diappeared completely in early august and since then i cannot remember seeing any mosquitos either. well, until today at least.. i went to sol early in the morning and left the window slightly open. after a long day i got home at around 15:30 in the evening (yes, it was already dark!) to find my room occupated by them. i've killed 4 so far and suspect there's one left. that's a sign of the nordic winter's arrival.. what doesn't migrate nor hibernate shall soon die. the mosquitos are only desperately fighting for their lives, but they'll all die. the question in my head is: if they all die during the winter, where do they come from when spring arrives? do they hibernate in caves? do they migrate hundreds of kilometers southwards? or do they simply refuse to die, struggling day after day for they existence and multiplying themselves frenetically when they have the chance? no matter what the answer is, survival instinct is something fascinating.

a slobbering nudist


by watterson

Friday, November 17, 2006

third uncle

there are tins
there was pork
there are legs
there are sharks
there was john
there are cliffs
there was mother
there's a poker
there was you
then there was you.

there are scenes
there are blues
there are boots
there are shoes
there are turks
there are fools
they're in lockers
they're in schools
there in you
then there was you.

burn my fingers
burn my toes
burn my uncle
burn his books
burn his shoes
cook the leather
put it on me
does it fit me
or you?
it looks tight on you.

by eno

Thursday, November 16, 2006

stella maris

ich träum' ich treff' dich ganz tief unten
der tiefste punkt der erde, marianengraben, meeresgrund
zwischen nanga parbat, k2 und everest,
das dach der welt dort
geb' ich dir ein fest
wo nichts mehr mir die sicht verstellt
wenn du kommst, seh' ich dich kommen schon vom rand der welt
es gibt nichts interessantes hier
die ruinen von atlantis nur
aber keine spur von dir
ich glaub' du kommst nicht mehr

wir haben uns im traum verpasst
du träumst mich ich dich
keine angst ich weck' dich nicht
bevor du nicht von selbst erwachst

über's eis in richtung nordpol dort werd' ich dich erwarten
werde an der achse steh'n
aus feuerland in harter traumarbeit zum pol

wird alles dort sich nur um uns noch dreh'n
der polarstern direkt über mir
dies ist der pol ich warte hier
nur dich kann' ich weit und breit noch nirgends kommen seh'n

ich wart' am falschen pol

wir haben uns im traum verpasst

du träumst mich ich dich
keine angst ich finde dich
bevor du noch von selbst erwachst

bitte, bitte weck' mich nicht
solang ich träum' nur gibt es dich…

wir haben uns im traum verpasst

du träumst mich ich dich
keine angst ich weck' dich nicht
bevor du nicht von selbst erwachst

lass' mich schlafend heuern auf ein schiff
kurs: eldorado, punt das ist dein heimatort
warte an der küste such' am horizont
bis endlich ich sehe deine segel dort
doch der käpt'n ist betrunken
und meistens unter deck
ich kann im traum das schiff nicht steuern
eine klippe schlägt es leck
im nordmeer ist es dann gesunken
ein eisberg treibt mich weg
ich glaub' ich werde lange warten
punt bleibt unentdeckt

wir haben uns im traum verpasst

du träumst mich ich dich
keine angst ich weck' dich nicht
bevor du nicht von selbst erwachst
du träumst mich ich dich
keine angst ich finde dich
am halbschlafittchen pack' ich dich
und ziehe dich zu mir
denn du träumst mich ich dich
ich träum' dich du mich
wir träumen uns beide wach

by bargeld

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

a toast for mathias


celebrating mathias' graduation, 5 weeks ago

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

the icecream people

the lady has me temporarily off the bottle
and now the pecker stands up
better.
however, things change overnight--
instead of listening to shostakovich and
mozart through a smeared haze of smoke
the nights change, new
complexities:
we drive to baskin-robbins,
31 flavors:
rocky road, bubble gum, apricot ice, strawberry
cheesecake, chocolate mint...

we park outside and look at icecream
people
a very healthy and satisfied people,
nary a potential suicide in sight
(they probably even vote)
and i tell her
"what if the boys saw me go in there? suppose they
find out I'm going in for a walnut peach sundae?"
"come on, chicken," she laughs and we go in
and stand with the icecream people.
none of them are cursing or threatening
the clerks.
there seem to be no hangovers or
grievances.
i am alarmed at the placid and calm wave
that flows about. i feel like a leper in a
beauty contest. we finally get our sundaes and
sit in the car and eat them.

i must admit they are quite good. a curious new
world. (all my friends tell me i am looking
better. "you're looking good, man, we thought you
were going to die there for a while...")
--those 4,500 dark nights, the jails, the
hospitals...

and later that night
there is use for the pecker, use for
love, and it is glorious,
long and true,
and afterwards we speak of easy things;
our heads by the open window with the moonlight
looking through, we sleep in each other's
arms.

the icecream people make me feel good,
inside and out.

by bukowski

Monday, November 13, 2006

confuse'm


by davis

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Friday, November 10, 2006

tagesplan

die arbeiten, die sie damals für seminare hatte schreiben müssen, hatten sie gequält. stundenlang hockte sie in ihrem zimmer vor den büchern. es interessierte sich nicht. sie trank in kleinen schlucken cinzano, bis sie ihre gedanken verwirrten. schlaf. oft bis spät abends. bunte, angenehme träume, nichts aufregendes, aber grund genung, sich gegen das aufwachen zu wehren. mit geschlossenen augen lag sie dann da und wartete darauf, wieder in den schlafen abzugleiten.
»mach dir für jeden tag einen plan«, ein rat ihrer mutter. wie beschämend für die menschheit, die eigene sinnlosigkeit durch einen genauen tagesplan zu übertünchen.

by dörrie - mitten ins herz

Thursday, November 09, 2006

sankt lars


by s schiele

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

sol

although i'm still browsing through my microeconomic book, most of my time now is being spent with german literature. my lectures and seminars are now held in the humanists' hq, a place called språk- och litteraturcentrum, or simply sol (centre for literature and languages). studying there implies a completely different posture towards knowledge, a new lifestyle. it means becoming a contemplative humanist once again and leaving behind, at least for a while, the competitive atmosphere of the school of economics and management. it means a more flexible schedule and fantastic trips through the night, it means sweating with delight.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

madonna


madonna, 1893-94
the aura-like lines around the model in this main motif from the frieze of life which ripple in a soft and suggestive rhythm, the half-closed and deep-set eyes allow us to sense the ecstasy of conception, the pinnacle of love but also an underlying pain. the red colour of the halo has the associations with both love and blood.

by munch - text by the munch museum

Monday, November 06, 2006

togrøk


train smoke, 1900
the picture is one of the series of landscapes from the turn of the century, with rhythmic and lyrical tones in surfaces, colours and lines, bearing hardly any traces of the earlier nervous energy and restless experimentation. the tentative observation of nature is portrayed in a classic, simplified technique in the synthesising art nouveau style of the time.

by munch - text by the munch museum

Sunday, November 05, 2006

smertens blomst


blossom of pain, 1898
this motif was first used as the frontispiece for an issue of the german periodical quickborn, with texts by august strindberg and illustrations by munch. the man bears munch´s features, and is the closest one gets to an artistic credo in his work. Art is created from the lifeblood of the artist, like the beautiful flower which shoots up from the earth next to the suffering man.

by munch - text by the munch museum

Saturday, November 04, 2006

mot skogen II


towards the forest II, 1915
the two woodcuts for this print were first carved in 1897 and printed in many editions. in the early prints, however, the figure of the woman is naked. in 1915 munch worked on these plates further and changed the key plate and the colour plate. the new prints are often printed in radiant colours and the woman appears to be dressed.

by munch - text by the munch museum

Friday, November 03, 2006

døden i sykeværelset


death in the sickroom, 1893
death in the sickroom goes back to the memory of the death of munch`s beloved sister, sophie. otherwise the models are depicted at the ages they were when the motif was painted, not their ages when the event took place. here munch may have wished to express a dimension of contemporaneousness - demonstrating that the family would always be affected by sophie`s death.

by munch - text by the munch museum

Thursday, November 02, 2006

galopperende hest


galloping horse, 1910-12
the combination of refined and powerful brush strokes suggests the wild speed of the horse. with its head turned to the right, it comes towards us through the snow, sweeping the small children aside. the illusion of movement is obtained using exaggerated foreshortening.

by munch - text by the munch museum

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

skrik


jeg gik bortover veien med to venner - så gik solen ned - himmelen ble pludselig blodrød - jeg stanset, lænet mig til gjærdet træt til døden - over den blåsvarte fjord og by lå blod og ildtunger - mine vænner gik videre og jeg stod igjen skjælvende av angst - og jeg følte at det gik et stort uendelig skrig gjennem naturen.

the scream, 1893
the scream has come more and more to be accepted as edvard munch's most significant motif - the very symbol of modern man, for whom god is dead and for whom materialism provides no solace. munch wrote several versions of a prose-lyrical associated with the motif, one of which reads: ’i was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red - i paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence - there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city - my friends walked on, and i stood there trembling with anxiety - and i sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.’

by munch - text by the munch museum