The Attica Retribution
This work is based on an issue of Artvoice, vol.10 no.36,
9-15 Sep 1999, published in Buffalo, New York State, commemorating
the massacre at Attica State Prison, September 1971, in which 29 convicts
were shot dead and a further 89 wounded. This text was written and
might fairly be read with the image in mind of the display of bodies,
laid out in their grim rows after the killing, and touches the many
clefs of voices of participation, comment, reaction, mutation, retribution
i canna unwrap the glass
foldz ov
wallz not to see thru
no soulz
there are sun-hostz
loaves of rohwz of light on dull metal
explozively ground
the sound
in the golden-bone i ask
what is left?
the tractor of the glen
rides up
grabble the furze with hookz
to go and explore
in which field of corn
fall
the blue waves beyond
the blue waves beyond
the blue waves beyond
tongueless
to she who luvz silence
can you blank
and this scheme i sign
here
taste to liquid salt
a rich gorse jewel
spider-nub
the slot
the gate
blowz me
i woz dancing
i woz japing n dancing
the mouth of
dry rice
slumber-river
wreckerz
and the
load-sequence
the last noise
that long line blind music
was the
no food now
cheat
whicker ribz
pleats
the mellow smoke
tuber-place
left for
like bird-beak
coil-sick
this yumpty
to be whose kid?
i dunno...
is it cat?
of perfect clear
of perfect heat
catch me
could you?
catch?
i would ha been the bolder
if they had not say
'touch the bone'
tinker medley
old sound
the score?
what other score?
what more than?
sea-bodies
i call out
i reach to and
i never
solely
a graze-crypt
dark...deaf
soul as tank of
you will invite me
to
the history
snatch
snatch at
long tinctures i have cured am
long and loose stretch
the eyes
and joins
turn all great creases
stubborn
ok stubborn
the only saintly sense
what broke
away
bad asphalt
to wrap
desperation down
crow and growl
and angry and
the silverfish
night stream
i so echo
teller now
thou takest away
you pilfer
the machine of plates
pickz up
turnz
now they will be gentle
the ash-blade of the trillionz
of friendz
in a thumb
i press a thumb
a thumb-ink
i press the thumb
i press
choices
we give is choices
flicky patternz torn
shirt tumble
heart
discussing bits of wood
the negotiatorz are ready to
open up
they keep the lightz on
in case
we move
the collaboration and
coronation
itz no use
not any yearz use
the main thing they do
iz count us
sentimentality
like i sick
sun-share
the nil record
option
cata-break
the titan
like force of
like fracture
and the accrued...
eventual...
my...
the zero sun
the jingle of tokenz
and songz of keyz
i could sing along to
(and thrum thrum)
uncoiling dragon-fernz
arteries
coming
out and light
lights of fruitz flood my eyes
no more intimate
time
sez gone
the lake-lavender
swim
she and me
my young-choice
the total
to
seize
not much colour
chorale:
the marriage of the crow king
in the land of crows
why bruin-bears
all the way bring
to rome?
look out - there's too
there's us - look out - there's...
special
sudden
golden-blue
known
and the lapping
of the air
flapping seam of air
blue (like shellfish)
will open
decimal-rate
throat
steam
smother
of golden-grove
dare
the circus in the mist
and the wheel is aglow
after the fire
dragonz explore us
silver pipz
in
butter-aether
a balm
az much lemon az
what! that the white palace melted
and the notices pelted
away
the sad bastion of letterz
slurry
we touch
to touch out at the
fast-light
to touch us but not at last will it
who can't
know
the blue bud
and hyacinth
city
love level
tin bolt
i run
snake bible
in the icy
tilt
it is cocoa head-time
of the rich dead
big-a-ram big-a-rum
like a switchin' wiper on the screen
sendeth
what hath god
saith
wrought?
az spyder roadsterz
truckz
we will amble-legz
good
dreams
of the day-maize
the brittle
defensor
green band
yellow cross
scene to jungle
a fry arrow as salmon
routeing to its sole goal home
i scent and sense and i go
crystal requests
predict
is she come
back?
snake
skin-cabin
i capture sightz of
skill, i scale
destroy
on the big hill
zero
lipz
no volume
yarp n jangle, we
a
liver-night
sure
you can try an' fite
that sudden time
growing
to find
we grow
to find
one after another
no pushing
i guess you all come last
in my garden
terror and altered and we
body offer
cancerous brood
bind
humanity
that i built the place
no one seeing
no one hearing
to die
be a donut
the soft maze-silk thorax of
see, the hard and jut-rib
black zone
chest-crest
of our armour
sweet strand
(admires)
flakes and mute marigold
an' burnt wind
jangle
to be possessed
of the lamb
the woolly link of
warm in the
cold room
pepper
this one exhaler
knees
iz half-blown
to shatter...
lie still
spiritz of the plum september
marry us
just issue
standard issue
our
solar and barque
remember!
rescue!
dark in the shoes
gross cheap jeanz
a hideous
freeway
a reflection
i am
a new entry
of the
the burning shock
jump
little
spit-flat mouth
rocketz of speech
them that spring
carnival
and coasterz
pocket
steel
the march of babies
our home
and the shone moon
listen
last clock
reggae-bin-grin-racket-talk
blond bay
tumble
be close to
tumble
closed
blood-kingz
i got up
wild
hissing
terror
time
buckle
tackle
double
knee
smear-crumb
hope
grab
have-grit
pink stars prepare
we are not paradyse
where is it gone
the stolen one
as night bone
as made of steam
i
clatter
to be part of life
or gamble
name stakes
clutch
raspberries
sweat
clad
luck
throw at
doleful
mad
mercury
i miss
i said
this in special
sign
i know
no secretz
not worth
does not settle
startz
this step
a seed
not a stop
resolves not much and
unrestz
us
revolves
iz
nothing silent
more
to be
one violence
and becoming
many violences
the making of
you multiply
acts of dismay
that iz/haz
az little movement
az a hero
join
the hatz
of troy
