Screen Dump 165

It matters if you want it to matter.
          - Maxine Kumin

But what about contextual heft? . . .
Words corralled from undergraduate syllabi? . . .
Cashing in before stepping out . . .
or stepping on . . .
or stepping over . . .
Always the problem of irrevocability . . .
Of crossing the bridge . . .

For work? . . . Pegged pants and cable knit sweaters . . .

Act 2 Scene 1 . . . In the red Cobra . . .

My height intimidates players . . .
They love it! . . .
Especially after googling wine lists . . . as if . . .
Always the same sluggish words . . .
Where are you from? . . . What do you do? . . . blah blah blah . . .
I traffic in consumables . . .
Packaged as in . . . As You Like It . . .
I hold the aces . . .
Control the scene . . .
Flip the roles . . .
But always . . . Far from the Madding Crowd . . .
I never anticipate counting ceiling tiles . . .
Make the most of a (sometimes) pathetic situation . . .
Ready or not, here I come . . . Oh yeah! . . .

The food networks . . . among others . . . want in . . .
As was Sappho's choice on Lesbos . . .
And now? . . . All accounting? . . . Retrospective . . .
Appropriated and - ideally seamlessly - embellished . . .

Take me in . . .
Feed me . . .
What big lips you have . . .
All the better . . .

David Benoliel

Screen Dump 164

A thin arm makes a face sadder.
          - Anne Carson, Short Talks

All subsequent failures will be given the benefit of the doubt . . .
All subsequent features will be given the benefit of the doubt . . .
Re-examined for negligence . . . sort of . . .
Encouraged to resubmit . . .
It's the paperwork that's work . . .
Pressed into service . . . by whom? . . .
Did you really think you could/would get away with it? . . .
Many of the dead walking behind us . . . are victims of love . . .
Too many are chomping (champing?) at the bit . . .
Worrying aloneness . . . as a talisman . . .
In abeyance . . .
Of course? . . . he/she said . . . eventually . . .
Relishing the idea of thick skin . . .
Of thin skin . . .
Of second skin . . .
Of skin . . .
And this too with little regard for the moment . . .
Doesn't it seem advantageous to be left high and dry? . . .
To be left . . . on your own . . .
I mean the matter at hand, yes? . . .
To be fascinated by frontispieces . . . as it were . . .
and makeshift shelters which . . . who knows . . . could hold the key . . .
He/she has put out feelers . . .
working on his/her profile late into the night . . .
with several chiming in . . .
after the (Greek) chorus . . . had eaten their fill . . .
and packed it in . . .
The importance of someone to yearn for . . . to pine after . . .
To lean on . . .
Lean on me when you're not strong . . .
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on . . .
The first geisha were men, yes? . . .
jesters, entertainers . . . talk show hosts . . . life coaches . . .
My head spins . . . with images of gambits . . .
A red Cobra . . . with you . . .
In transit . . .
In hot pink costume . . . zippered no less! . . .
In control . . .
In charge . . .
In and out . . .
In touch . . . (as in I'll be) . . .
In the moment . . .
In as far as I can go . . .
In too deep . . .
In . . . terruptus . . .
The finds at archaeological digs have led many astray . . .
And continue to do so each and every day . . .

Sarah Moon

Screen Dump 163

I understood that I was wasting time that would never return,
that I was losing hours that could have been beautiful.
          - Alexandra David-Neel

You reinsert pronouns . . . into your stories within stories . . .
because they welcome a seductive angularity . . .
the intricacies of intimacy . . . of running into him/her . . .
in a parking lot . . . in the next town over . . .
You're happy that he/she is happy . . .
(and you're pretty sure you're being honest with yourself) . . .
Memories flood the five minutes . . .
both of you blue-penciling the script . . .
both sides of the menu vying for your attention . . .
Not interested in the specials? . . .
Ghosts of living friends as character witnesses . . .
In another place . . . another time . . . there would be . . .
There would be what? . . . Unanswerables? . . .
Unfair! . . . and unnecessary! . . .
You have wasted enough time . . . polishing the stones . . .
of the New Year . . .
Move on to the next item on your to-do list . . .
Perhaps you should retrieve dry eyes . . . from the dumpster . . .
examine them for their provenance . . .
their classic lines . . . their beautiful unexpectedness? . . .

Wendy Bevan

Screen Dump 162

A fatuous day . . . A feet-on-dash kind of day . . .
smacking of meta . . . This is happening . . .
and this is happening . . . about happening . . .
And you . . . again . . . engaging and animated . . .
They flocked to the watering hole . . .
pining for the way things used to be . . .
I wanted to pontificate about something . . . about anything . . .
but there were signs all around spelling out appropriate behavior . . .
competing with signs for administering the Heimlich . . .

We interrupt this screen dump for the following PSA . . .
Of the 12,982 forensic autopsies performed . . .
between 1947 and 1988 . . .
78 cases of café coronary due to bolus impaction in the larynx . . .
(bolus death) were reported . . .
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1424826] . . .

You never know . . . You just never know . . .
You collected empties (not new) . . .
and compared paint chips (new) . . .
rarely returning before 4 AM . . .
to your monkishly regimented life . . . in the exurbs . . .
Few got past second base . . .
despite your prancing around the dugout . . .
in a short puffy uniform . . .
Since back then it was all about you as comptroller, yes? . . .

Peter Lindbergh

Screen Dump 161

You tweaked street signs . . . then pulled up stakes . . .
with no forwarding address . . .
And now it's your turn to shave . . .
Your turn to become an A B C D . . . F student . . .
a Playboy (Bunny) of the Western World . . .
long in the tooth . . .
mis-directing traffic . . . down one-way streets . . .
littered . . . with black and white . . .
round-screen Stromberg-Carlsons . . . from the '50s . . .
retrofitted for Netflix . . .
and Once Upon a (Prime) Time . . .
You were hyperaware of incidental music . . .
A pro in the confessional . . .
The plot may not even be fully summerizable . . .

Anka Zhuravleva

Screen Dump 160

But there's an untidiness to it . . . a seductive untidiness . . .
An untidiness that can spellbind . . .
As in green . . . the fugitive and unstable pigment . . .
If the green's good . . . it's all good . . .
all pigments . . . on copper . . . especially . . .
Taking notes . . . in invisible ink . . .
Handing in assignments . . . in invisible ink . . .
Hanging upside down . . . for extra credit . . .
demonstrating the latest . . .
in roundabouts . . . in cardiac care . . .
the dilemma continuing . . .
through railroad crossings . . . checkout counters . . .
heavy metal detectors . . .
streets of suspended sentences . . .
A three-ring circus . . . a one-ring circus . . .
a private session . . .
with you . . . bows in your hair . . .
as resident sword swallower . . .
Tracking the progress of (dis)cards . . .
The nitty-grittiness . . . and all that jazz . . .
The hills alive with sublime iterations . . .
of your (dance) routine . . .
And you . . . through the eye of a needle . . .
fingered . . . in the three R's . . .
comparing nursery rhymes . . . to-do lists . . .
Fancying ourselves special . . . if for no other reason . . .

Wendy Bevan

Screen Dump 159

I was not in the mood for visitors.
          - André Breton

Alone, I think of cloud cover . . . and the state of affairs . . .
that took possession of you late last night . . .
forcing you into a '70's mood ring . . .
trampled by the exoticism of time and place . . .
I always try to gather myself, yes? . . .
and last night was no exception . . .
You could have at least cleared the air . . .
opened up, so to speak . . .
but instead . . . you got behind the wheel . . .
and drove away . . . into a summer day . . .
while coffee tables sighed . . .
under pics of manspreads . . . and failed hustlers . . .
Playing visiting nurse . . . cold turkey . . .
wiping the hours clean . . .
your muse grabbing a ride from the party . . .
of the first part . . .
when relinquished opportunists . . .
flooded the anti-chamber . . .
bottlenecking egress . . . for visitors who wouldn't listen . . .
and drove you bananas . . . with their could care less . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 158

The new epoch began a few minutes ago . . .
without . . . Buy One . . . Get One . . .
without fanfare figuration or abstraction . . .
(as if those elements have something to do with it!) . . .
I too have felt the persistent drama . . .
of stalemate . . .
the appropriation and embellishment . . .
of both open and closed mics . . .
though I find it hard to imagine . . .
each of us with a common core . . .
Never forget the sodium levels of lame ducks . . .
They preceded us . . . and unrecognized . . .
they could blow clear through the roof . . .
He/she is running out the door . . . in summer pants . . .
Can you believe the aimless ceremony? . . .
The disproportionate translation? . . .
The squalor . . . marvelous . . . yet form-fitting . . .
inciting a melee among those in transition? . . .

Wendy Bevan

Screen Dump 157

Your usual definition of fun jumped bail . . .
Out the window . . .
Now what? . . .
Now you're re-arranging polar opposites? . . .
Mis-labeling intentions? . . .
Insisting on misrepresentations . . . mis-translations? . . .
What about sandwich money? . . .
Entering the day . . . cold . . . then colder . . .
OK, we can do this! . . .
It's not so bad . . . Not bad at all in fact . . .
Ha! . . . once yoga class is behind us . . .
On a clear day . . .
But it's not a clear day! . . .
Just assume the position . . . and don't let on . . .

Wendy Bevan

Screen Dump 156

Flirting . . . again . . . with the outer limits . . .
With movements . . . gestures . . . monodramatics . . .
Pics . . . of you . . . 10, 20 years ago . . .
unabashedly autobiographical . . .
the too-clumsily-explicit sections excised . . .
leaving nothing but self-translations . . .
Notwithstanding . . .
Sucked in by the makeover . . .
By the that was then . . . this is now . . .
Such unironic enthusiasms . . .
Never again . . .
I have come undone! . . .
and escaped through a hidden panel in the refrigerator . . .
Beating yourself up? . . .
You were you . . . wrestling with demons . . .
who . . . out of habit . . . made the doughnuts . . .
and the parlez-vous français? . . .
and the midnight rides . . . to all the wrong places . . .
Defacing profiles with neon pink spray paint . . .
and misquotes . . . from overdue library books . . .

Sarah Moon

Screen Dump 155

Spooool!
          - Samuel Beckett, Krapp's Last Tape

Spool! . . . Spool! . . . Spooool! . . . Spool! . . . Spooool! . . .
Miles . . . Blue In Green . . .
There are no mistakes! . . .
Spool! . . .
The evidentiary moment . . .
Assemble the players . . . and the accoutrements . . .
Life as analogy . . . as oxymoron . . . mishap . . .
Spooool! . . .
Re-position the pieces . . . please! . . .
Attempt a recap . . . a remix . . .
But I want this! . . .
I am ready for this! . . .
The tutoring . . . over! . . .
The hand-holding . . . over!
The hiatus . . . over! . . .
In the starting blocks! . . .
Ready! . . . Set! . . .
Yes! . . . Yes! . . . Yes! . . .
This! . . . Now! . . .
Tweeting the hell out of insignificants . . .
Spool! . . . Spool! . . . Spooool! . . .
What . . . spool? . . .
The Age of the Mac . . . upon us! . . .
Grocery shopping . . . at best . . .
I am so into Amazon Samples! . . .
and haute cuisine . . .
There will be . . . then . . .
And you will have flashbacks . . . setbacks . . .
They will bludgeon you . . . Knock you from sleep . . .
Force you to follow . . .
No darkness . . . Spooool! . . .

Lydia Roberts

Screen Dump 154

Your inner stand-up comic insists he/she never blacked out . . .
Always delivered lines . . . impeccably . . .
I am sure about who I did what with . . .
Is that who . . . or whom? . . .
Trawling for the Big One . . . (or the almost Big One) . . .
Earth Angel Earth Angel . . . will you be mine? . . .
Sanding down the bedposts . . . again . . . trashed . . .
That we could all be so perfect . . .
Segue to you . . . texting the Greek chorus . . .
I'm unclear about one spot only, your Honor . . .
Certain follow-throughs were off-limits, of course . . .
at the funeral . . . the wedding . . . the arraignment . . .
Can't you see I'm costumed as Aphrodite? . . .
Walking in . . . delivering lines . . . cold . . .
They were marionettes . . . all of them . . .
Eager as altar boys . . . Wouldn't you be? . . .
I reversed the roles . . . set the pace . . . faster . . . slower . . .
You tell me . . . I'll tell you, yes? . . .
Eyes wide . . . cued the 12 steps . . . Ready Set Go! . . .
All episodes . . . Now streaming! . . .
Why is Popeye here? . . .
And why is he having second thoughts about Olive Oyl? . . .

Lydia Roberts

Screen Dump 153

Your sequined angularities . . . at a time like this . . .
A time when sidewalks . . . can lead you astray . . .
Can compel you to tweak your memories . . . your incidentals . . .
They make me want to re-script my dreams . . .
and join the picture-perfect crowd . . . for drinks . . .
Sometimes it's like that . . .
Quite frankly, yes? . . .
Not to be confused with the truth of the matter . . .
Now what? . . . A new view? . . . A new you? . . .
Always the gamble following the initial ice-break . . .
We'd like to blame it on the snowstorm, yes? . . .
Images . . . flooding in . . .
There's only so much your finger in the dike can hold back . . .
At this stage . . . anyway . . .
And then . . . the tabloids arrive . . . with payback time . . .
And a delivery boy/girl demanding a tip . . .

Wendy Bevan

Screen Dump 152

Fact checkers check your facts . . .
Riffling through your backpack for dark chocolate . . .
and other antioxidants . . .
Instead of the usual . . . you order the special . . .
Flipping through a Lands' End catalog . . .
You notice them at the race checking you out . . .
Lycras have a way of doing that . . .
The supermarket opens its doors . . .
with free courses for seniors . . .
Perhaps Interpersonal Dynamics of the 1200s . . .
holds the key . . .
Fictionalizing . . . but not storytelling . . .
A giant divagation, yes? . . .
Watching trailers on Netflix . . . subtitled . . .
It's always good to be packed and ready . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 151

The cereal box opens with a soft shoe . . .
Interrogators are again trying . . . to map your profile . . .
to make sense . . . of your odyssey . . .
The syllabus for your canon . . . cryptic . . .
You highlight . . . the (pen)ultimatum . . .
in red yellow blue . . .
and get stuck on the word s-p-o-o-l . . .
as the elements of a Rough Guide . . .
skitter out of earshot . . .
Pics of players . . . squeeze into the Cloud . . .
tracked by the trance music . . .
you have come to be identified with . . .
You decide to put it all down . . . in a book . . .
inspired and intimidated . . .
by the masters of your art . . .
the masturbators of your art . . .
staring down at you from their place on the wall . . .
If only you had the wordmagic of a Patti Smith . . .

Screen Dump 150

You toggle between you and you . . . and you . . . and you . . .
Between now and then . . .
Between couch and cutting room floor . . .
Between window . . . and door . . .
The HOT button dumping reams of words . . .
Mounds of insignificance . . .
Dancing on the edge of dreams . . .
What else can one do? . . .
When all we have is language . . .
That's it . . . nothing else . . . in a bell jar, yes? . . .
The voice distant . . .
connecting . . . disconnecting . . . connecting again . . .
You . . . walking across a field . . . of ficus trees . . .
Every step . . . a new step . . .
Handlers . . . as sound designers . . .
Falling off the wagon . . . climbing back on . . .
It's crowded out here . . . in the waiting room . . .
The therapist suggests a monologue . . .
As a ficus tree . . .
Just what the PA ordered, yes? . . .
Not sure what that's all about . . .
Kind of like a call-and-response . . .
You call . . . but there's no reply . . .
Now what? . . .
Do you call again . . . or pack it in? . . .
The camera zooms in on a clock . . .
The clock's hands are trying to grab something . . .
Anything . . .
The camera pans a crowd . . .
They're waiting to see what you're going to do . . .
Bookmakers are giving odds . . .
A few hookers are giving head . . .
You decide to re-sing the lyrics . . .
to (what you hope will be) your next big hit . . .
Tweeting your whereabouts to dispassionate third parties . . .
It's all scenery . . .
No it's not! . . . He/she said it's all theater! . . .
Ah ha! . . . Please have him/her contact me! . . .

Screen Dump 149

Your uniformed erotic other conjugates verbs . . .
for flower handlers . . . and Rockaday Johnnies . . .
after hours . . . on the desktop . . .
waterlogged . . . gasping for breath . . .
thinking it cool . . . by the metric of then . . .
The streets fill with Ferraris . . . and other aspirazioni . . .
Living casually . . . long windswept arms . . .
welcome rough liaisons . . .
the clock insisting on a face . . .
You are sized-up . . . for Paris . . . or Rome . . .
or wherever . . . but instead hook up . . .
with the Goodenoughs . . .
in a trailer park outside Atlantic City . . .
harvesting cartwheels . . . for pocket change . . .
and lonesome grins . . .
your gymnastics occasioning motion sickness . . .
The weather eventually arrives . . . with a show of hands . . .
breaking off the lush . . . to explore . . .
another aspect . . . of your to-die-for glamour . . .
asleep with excitement . . .
The schoolmarm's hourglass . . . pouting with bittersweets . . .

Sarah Moon

Screen Dump 148

The season of dancing was endless.
          - Mark Strand, The Delirium Waltz

Importunity knocks . . . and you know it's him/her . . .
in Spanish boots of Spanish leather . . .
against December's passing grade . . .
As if a transit strike struck . . . bottlenecking neighborhoods . . .
Nothing to fret about . . . bad weather is bad weather . . .
Yet . . . the downhill . . .
Your professed unworthiness preempted by costume . . .
iCandy . . . for victims of Seduction Theory 101 . . .
Never far from the panopticon of theater . . .
Words receding into the artisanal urns lining the walls . . .
pinned with pics of nobodies . . .
The season of dancing begins . . .
The lights are low . . . the air warm . . .
You glide with him/her . . .
across polished wood inlaid marble light snow shallow water . . .
You want to have arrived, yes? . . .
Of course you can summon the limo at any time . . . or thereabouts . . .

Sarah Moon

Screen Dump 147

You embrace evasiveness for those intuiting the darkness . . .
that is sure to arrive . . .
most likely when the bag of chips is only half-eaten . . .
And to those who smug their arrival with dogeared albums . . .
of yellowing photographs . . .
Past Masters of the Universe . . .
Big hair days . . .
Days of knights groping pawns . . .
You had a knack for racking near hits . . .
for the inevitability of amusement parks . . .
and head-turning with single-digit checkmates . . .
It is as it was, yes? . . .
How will you get through the rest of your life? . . .
A PowerPoint, perhaps? . . .
Clocking the brittleness of cluster flies . . .
flipping flopping eavesdropping . . . on the sill . . .
Checking your email for holiday doodads . . .
and buy-backs . . .
The crows with their tickets . . . the snow beginning . . .
You decide to slow down . . . again . . .
to savor the word . . .
to record the footsteps of your favorite writers . . . blocked . . .
Dreaming . . . the after-hour dramas in the pen . . .

Natalia

Screen Dump 146

The script is fumbled . . . the waiter brings bread and wine . . .
She says, I am Uma . . .
She tap dances with the specials . . . rummaging . . .
She sports a black clip-on bowtie . . . and black ballet flats . . .
She is credentialed . . .
You can hear a pin drop . . . during lulls . . .
Knowing how things work is somewhat of a relief . . .
but then scrutiny knocks . . .
and it's 1st and 10 . . .
Uma asks about HTML5 . . .
Suddenly, a pall appears . . . at the door . . .
several pick lint . . . drop back to punt . . .
From moment to moment . . . give and take . . .
Your life . . . a hashtag . . .
It's not time for softspoken huddles . . .
or reminiscences . . .
He/she remembers you . . . and the time(s) . . .
Even when thinking about someone you weren't that crazy about . . .
A switch flips . . . and there's a rush . . .

Screen Dump 145

The up-and-comers came . . . flashdancing unpronounceables . . .
Mitigating circumstances? . . . Posh! . . .
You have seen the illusion . . . and it is us . . .
Why now after so many trips to the outer limits? . . .
In a flurry of words . . .
How often have you stumbled upon the castle of disbelief? . . .
As in This is what needs to be done . . .
It was lost upon him/her . . . lost! . . .
And now the scene opens with yet another candied apple . . .
Being offered surreptitiously . . .
You're running out of raw material . . . and you know it . . .
Look, the air out here is friendly . . .
Backstroke if need be . . .
You'll receive full credit . . . from your sponsor . . .
Singing in ways we are not . . .
Trying to stay awake through the lugubrious moments . . .
We all have them . . .
Watching the players . . . build a new world . . . pixel upon pixel . . .
Wait, back-channel sniping is verboten . . .
Before you know it we too will be there . . . sooner other than that . . .
Ha! . . . Isn't it romantic? . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 144

The convolutions though subtle are exasperatingly trivial . . .
Rather mediocre . . .
He spent his life drilling teeth . . .
Can you imagine the next floor? . . .
You shouldn't expect miracles . . .
especially after you've consistently refused updates . . .
quashing outside solicitations . . .
It's a question of overage . . . and how to deal with it . . .
Mastering last-minute tabletop conversions . . .
Why allow just anyone? . . .
Trying to plot a course pitiably colored with indecision . . .
especially after finding yourself here . . .
in the middle of this multitasked mess . . .
Pocket a convenient delusion . . .
Grab your paintbox . . . landscapes await . . .
The results will induce a trance unlike any other . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 143

It's as if you were pixillated between then and now . . .
Your voracious appetites . . . and obsessions . . .
the charm of supersymmetry . . .
To feel wanted in a way that's not abusive . . .
One minute this . . . the next that . . .
And suddenly you're aboard a train in Russia's deep winter . . .
I doubt that it could have been avoided . . .
The summer was telling . . . but we weren't listening, were we? . . .
Or maybe we were . . . I don't know . . .
Can you imagine the purgatorial whisper of expats? . . .
And the cute little dog-and-pony shows . . .
in that bedraggled circus? . . .
Fueling you with enough esteem to begin the beguine . . .
Assuming the position . . . disproportionately . . . for whomever . . .
The inside of the dream . . . expanding exponentially . . .
Nothing was lost . . . really . . .
Dusting yourself off . . . turning the key . . .
And the sudden dumping of six feet of snow . . .
Stranding travelers . . . to say nothing of transmorgrification . . .

Anka Zhuravleva

Screen Dump 142

You asterisk-out several lines of email . . .
The flip-floppiness and incredulity build . . .
Words collide . . .
Tomorrow arrives as an addendum . . .
OK, share with me your deepest moment . . .
the one that won the stay of execution . . .
the one that periodically slips through your bedroom window . . .
that momentary apparition in red . . .
that settles in for the midnight ride . . .
kicking your REM sleep to the curb . . .
while short-circuiting the treasure trove of language . . .
ransacked and melted down for alumni weekend . . .
You knew about this, yes? . . .
About the first-person shooters on the beta team? . . .
About the disappointing closet-space in microcosms? . . .
About the players . . . and their parts . . .
delivering lines with the insensitivity of cold pizza . . .
the anchovies engaged in their own trancelike deceptions? . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 141

You worry the ineptitude of surrogate understudies . . .
and have become a quick-study . . .
in the Art of Articulation . . .
friending one-trick ponies . . . and those . . .
decked out in micro-minis . . . with advanced degrees . . .
in wainscoting . . . and winter tire wear . . .
You . . . at the bus stop . . .
in down toolbelt . . . and silver stilettos . . .
haggling . . . with members of the audience . . .
awaiting the free lecture . . .
on the etymology of symbiosis . . .
The weather turning nasty . . .
You decide to specialize . . . in box lunches . . .
for all makes and models . . . of up-and-comers . . .
filling the air with tidbits . . .
pocketing some . . . for a late night snack . . .
with him/her . . .
You've managed to elongate time . . . and wait . . .
for an opening . . .
where you can study first flakes . . . first hand . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 140

Let me put it to you this way . . .
There have been several . . . irksome bastards indeed . . .
who . . . having filed the necessary paperwork . . .
toyed with the idea of playing the role of sandbox . . .
before skeedaddling out of town . . .
A Marshall Dillon lookalike . . .
sidelined by a sidewinder . . .
wanting to know the whereabouts . . .
of the dime-store triplets . . .
who had headlined at the cobbled-together theater-in-the-round . . .
where you . . . always on call . . .
for whatever you are on call for . . .
parroted lines . . . pocketing necktied alter egos . . .
Reminds me of Ebenezer's partner . . .

Adamo de Pax

Screen Dump 139

You have the moves . . . so why the cryptic notes? . . .
Whenever he/she was blocked . . .
Instead of magnification . . . over-analysis and such . . .
But don't we all trod the boards . . . day in and day out? . . .
Formulating hypotheses . . . for the inner fortune teller . . .
masked . . . with satin opera-length gloves . . .
ready to rock and roll . . . after catching some shut-eye? . . .
I wanted to use a stacked deck . . .
The way we played make-believe . . .
your aunt filling us with pie . . . and pontifications . . .
At the swimming hole . . . surrounded by unknown weeping willows . . .
not yet understanding the signs and symbols . . .
Offshore . . . the alligators' red eyes . . .

Anka Zhuravleva

Screen Dump 138

I am awakened by a reenactor . . . tinkering with my thoughts . . .
You as reenactor . . .
The world as reenactment . . .
No longer self-conscious . . .
in the diner . . . the bookstore . . . beyond the stand of pine . . .
Where insects are clicking like crazy . . .
I can't name them . . .
You as tenth classical muse . . .
sucking me in with your unruly ritualism . . . and bedhead antics . . .
I need to grocery-shop . . . but I've forgotten . . .
Farm fresh at the server farm . . . is the only way . . .
Send in the memes . . .
The mechanisms of historical reenactment nudge the funny bone . . .
The artificial theatricality is mad . . .
The enjambments bottleneck . . .
The petitioners in the coffee shop morph into pensioners . . .
auditioning for yet another Night of the Living Dead . . .
You as telletubby teletubbied into the Twilight Zone . . .
A Rod Serling telletubby is asking you questions inside your duffel bag . . .
You engorge yourself on duffel blogs . . . submitted for your approval! . . .
Your potassium level drops . . . to an unhealthy low . . .
You contemplate settling for even less . . . most do, yes? . . .
But then . . . in the nick of time . . .
New morphological evidence appears . . . on your desktop . . .
shepherding your icons into the cloud atlas . . .
Third and fourth cousins thrice removed replace steampunks in the scrum . . .
You as steampunk . . .
And once again before the bell you realize . . . life is hunky-dory . . .

David Benoliel

Screen Dump 137

Wowed by the manhole-man's trifocals . . . one two three . . .
you bail out before getting in . . .
The bread truck . . . at four in the morning . . .
Another in a long line of fellow something-or-others . . .
Minor players in a major role . . . in a minor drama . . .
Life as shtick, yes? . . . Nothing wrong with that . . .
Eye-rolling has been shown to help six out of ten cases
of self-consciousness . . . and objectification . . .
regroup . . . re-costume . . . re-enter . . . reenact . . .
The fray is not what they say . . .
Ubiquitous holiday geegaws . . .
If only for a couple of bucks to inhale
and breathe the night away . . .
I've been having trouble following the instant replays . . .
Please resend the list of character actors . . .
The newspaper headlines jammed down your deep throat . . .
You hold your breath . . . you hold on . . . you are about to dive
at least according to the news anchor
following past online acquaintances . . . and liaisons . . .
(The physician's assistant will see you now!) . . .
Trying to find shelter in the storm
that slammed coastal towns . . . with unheard of references . . .
Just what do you give at the office? . . .

Anka Zhuravleva

Screen Dump 136

Something about the texture of our past lives . . .
The imminent imminent . . . falling like pollen . . .
You review the rewrite . . .
The spoken word . . . going deep . . .
Reconnecting with players from archival footage . . .
A comfort zone . . . at first . . .
At one time following-through made sense . . .
But now . . . entrapped in provocation . . .
you're lost . . . and not sure why . . .
Your re-entry into the dream makes sense . . .
if only for the therapeutic touch of others . . .
close . . . and not so close . . .
Calling for reservations . . .
you recognize the voice . . . from everywhere . . .

Adrian Blachut

Screen Dump 135

You as goth at 7-Eleven . . . no lines to memorize . . . all gesture . . .
and angularity . . . tangled in your wiles . . .
The User Manual's 18-minute gap . . .
wreaking havoc among the locals . . .
who lapse into a false pretense . . . at every convenience store . . .
Bored with board games with bar flies . . .
You announce check . . . with the enthusiasm of an afterthought . . .
The room is wired . . . you have no idea . . .
You were warned not to make a scene . . .
A megabyte of bluffing tumbles out of the back room . . .
Everyone pretends to be interested . . .
Why? . . . I haven't the foggiest . . .
You do remember him, yes? . . . and your run as resident stalker? . . .
His laugh and smell fueling your incidence . . .

Anka Zhuravleva

Screen Dump 134

I've lost my notes . . . the count . . . the sound . . .
I'm not so sure anymore that retrieval is a lucrative venture . . .
Surely you can make do with fewer crayons . . .
At least in my neck of the woods . . .
You know what they say . . .
Incidentally, the sidewalks have been rolled out . . .
for the brouhaha . . .
Everyone - well most everyone - will be partying on . . .
I hope there's a headcount . . .
It's always easier to pick up where you left off . . .
I've heard you've been sparring with Send in the Clowns . . .
when you should be concentrating on walking an imaginary line . . .
Don't get carried away by the lyrics . . .
You have all the necessary accoutrements . . .
the lucky trees, the rapidograph, etc. . . .
And now we . . . in the Cold Lands . . . are preparing ourselves . . .
Stockpiling rubber bands . . . yeah, there you go! . . .

Anka Zhuravleva

Screen Dump 133

If you didn't have so many overdue library books on your plate . . .
you'd be better able to face the day . . .
I have a solution! . . .
Introspection is offering buybacks . . .
You've heard, right? . . .
If you wait it out . . . you'll be able to walk in . . . head held high . . .
It's not just architectural mockups, either . . .
You feel uncomfortable . . . perfectly understandable . . .
If I had to wear that Halloween costume, I'd deep-six my journal entries . . .
Who's to know, anyway? . . .
Besides, who cares? . . .
We all have skeletons . . . in our bathtubs . . .
Remember that scene in Psycho, with Anthony Perkins eating a sandwich? . . .
And Hitch outside . . . in profile . . . having a smoke? . . .

Psycho (1960)

Screen Dump 132

Position the player . . . and begin jealousy . . .
Move to the other side of the room . . .
Position yourself . . .
You will be wordless . . .
Watching him/her . . . from the other side of the room . . .
Angle yourself to see yourself in the mirror . . .
Begin doing whatever you have to do . . .
Which of the seven levels? . . .
Do not break your concentration . . .
Watching him/her with him/her . . .
The momentary loss . . .
Leaving . . . with an article of his/her clothing . . .

Lena Olin in The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Screen Dump 131

Losing track of fiendish departures . . .
You dole out emoticons . . . to the freshly laundered . . .
sampling the sake and sushi . . .
the dining room reeking restoration hardware . . .
You are yellow carded . . .
Fast forward the backups . . .
I want to review the anonymous donors . . .
In black and white . . . it's less distracting . . .
I was foolish to argue the point . . .
Threatening true happiness with a new coat of paint . . .
Some periwinkle mixed in to soften the tone . . .
Easing the players into position . . .
Feeding them arugula . . . and lines . . .
Then moving into the final scene . . .
The one that shatters the glass ceiling . . .

David Benoliel

Screen Dump 130

You learn dance steps . . . and are told you are good . . .
Watching the stillness with the intensity of being out of step . . .
Zeno's arrow never arriving at its target . . .
Your life as instances of stillness . . .
You cannot delete an instant . . .
Ashbery says time is not linear but concentric . . .
The players . . . in sepia . . . viewed as concentric circles . . .
Some take you to ice cream parlors . . . treat you to sundaes . . .
Others squeeze you into costumes . . .
Still others stare blankly . . . shifting in your words . . .
Always on the brink . . . of involvement . . .
Testing the questions . . .
Applying preservative . . . pre-Facebook albums . . .
You worry the fine print . . . the writing on the wall . . .
but go along for the ride . . . for years . . .
Then the hiatus . . .
The traffic signal malfunctioning . . .
You . . . speeding through the intersection . . .

Sarah Moon

Screen Dump 129

Last night, while I lay thinking here
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear. . . .
          - Shel Silverstein, Whatif

You do too! . . . the words - with hair toss - starboard . . .
The player gearing up for the comeback . . .
Start the countdown . . .
Handing in a stack of keypunched Hollerith cards . . .
Waiting for the printout . . .
Plotting the Cartesian coordinates of sexual odysseys? . . .
A scatterplot of encounters? . . .
Developing a mathematical model to fit the data? . . .
y axis = attraction . . . x axis = enjoyment . . .
Parsing enjoyment we find . . . crouching in the corner . . .
excitement and intensity . . .
The higher the attraction the greater the enjoyment . . .
One would think, yes? . . .
Wait! . . . What if they're shooting blanks? . . .
Intervening variable? . . .
Later, you know, the on the shoulders of giants kind of thing . . .
The regression line of best fit . . .
For the best fit . . .
So size matters, yes? . . .
You're kidding, right? . . .
OK, let's test it . . .
But correlation isn't causation! . . .
Please find a tree for me to hide behind . . .
I need a reason for my transgressions! . . .
Well, maybe I don't! . . .
The lost wax process . . . can we use that? . . .
You know . . . fitting the mold . . . so to speak . . .
Sucking them in . . . keeping them guessing . .
What's going to happen? . . . Will I score? . . .
Who's in charge here, anyway? . . .
I am . . . You know . . . like René:
I think (I am in charge) . . . therefore I am (in charge)! . . .

Screen Dump 128

You're having trouble deciphering your scribbles . . .
(this has been happening a lot lately) . . .
and you're being creeped-out by this Billy Joel lookalike . . .
stalking the perimeter of your dreamscape . . .
You're thinking about taking a ballet class . . .
eye on the clock . . .
but worry HIRD (Hip Internal Rotation Deficit) . . .
It's one of those things . . .
like losing your grip . . .
the world becoming dense prose . .
the edges of conversations blurring . . .
the belated departures . . .
the nonexistent always butting in . . .
friendships losing their luster through overhandling . . .
So what about the ceaseless passage of time? . . .
Any consolation there? . . .
Just asking . . .
Were you in the ark with the rest of the lottery winners? . . .
The nuts-and-bolts of walking around the block . . .
Taking in the flowers and condiments . . .
the rhythms of generations . . .
and the secondary nature of wrenching yourself from unwanted others? . . .

NYC Ballet's Wendy Whelan

Screen Dump 127

The good-enoughs were good enough . . . buffed biceps and thighs . . .
Lisped words . . . a turn-on . . .
Playing catch-up to your long-stemmed black lycras . . .
scissoring the elliptical . . .
May I quote your treadmill? . . .
Eyes lock on a different shore . . .
A shore littered with brittle backyards . . .
and Facebook friends . . .
unlined . . . untouched . . . unknowing . . .
Escape routes pumped and GPS'd . . .
A leaf-peeper (by happenstance) . . .
always in the director's chair . . . the driver's seat . . .
the O Captain! My Captain! . . . of the Remote . . .
guided by lyrical insertion . . . narrative jostling . . .
and Mr. Jack Daniel's . . .
high-brow . . . low-brow . . . uni-brow . . .
The emptiness . . . filled with Red Bull . . . and alien others . . .

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Screen Dump 126

You floss judiciously . . . worry unwritten reams . . .
his/her intentions . . .
bulky sarchophagi of approach-avoidance . . .
unresolved past (im)perfect hookups . . . disconnects . . .
the neon stupidity of texts . . .
and the whole Tire Warehouse thing . . .
Where the fuck is UNSEND? . . .
Your pontoon takes on water . . .
There will never be a better time . . .
OCD muscling in:
First you say you do and then you don't . . .
Voices fade . . .
And now this residual avatar . . .
standing next to you in the checkout line . . .
hitting on you . . .
It's a supermarket moment . . . a hit-and-run supermarket moment . . .

Aneta Ivanova

Screen Dump 125

You have mastered the pronunciation of oui . . .
and use it with your shell game . . .
to entice those who have declined residential treatment . . .
The eroticism of suppressed meaning is alive and well . . .
and has mapped your promiscuous bandwidth . . .
on vacation (again) at the shore . . .
You need more . . .
An enigma that will soon fall out of fashion . . .
releasing last-minute tweaks . . . complete with stilettos . . .
An easy mark . . . is headed your way . . .
Of course, the shell game . . .

Herb Ritts

Screen Dump 124

And what excuse might that be? . . .
Lollygagging about . . . tardiness as a come-on . . .
then truth or dare by the pumps . . . on camera . . .
I can only say so much . . .
You have pushed the envelope . . . ooh la la . . .
And now more is a sepia print . . .
with players arranged in quilted silence . . .
I know you love this kind of thing . . .
Especially when this kind of thing involves costumes . . .
and missing pieces . . .
and the chance to play another's role . . .

Gabriele Rigon

Screen Dump 123

The wind no longer billowed in her garments.
          - Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time

The attraction replaced by ennui . . .
This of course Proust's narrator . . .
Begin your analysis of Albertine with possession equals erasure . . .
Follow it through flashbacks to a short story . . .
then to yesterday . . .
Pout eclipsed by exoticism . . .
The scene opens with the fourth of seven levels . . .
At a table . . . in a restaurant . . .
I'm all ears! . . .
I retreat to the script . . . but the evidence is foreplay . . .
Stage left with shadows of your former self . . .
in the passing lane on the Bayonne Bridge . . .
along one-way streets . . . with no looking back . . .
Is the interest more than casual? . . .
This is puppetry . . . of the highest order, yes? . . .
Again, the ceiling tiles . . .
But I always made sure I'd enjoy it! . . .
You have come this far? . . .
We can crack this case . . . with further therapy . . .
Crack this case? . . .
Did I say that? . . .
I will consult with the flowers in the vase . . .
Oh, yeah! . . .
Your insistence . . . captivating . . .
Again you will be paid for crossing the line . . .
But first the risotto . . .
on the plate . . . in the restaurant . . .
in the Styrofoam takeaway box . . .
Searching for lost what? . . .
How would you even know? . . .
Your marmishness cover held . . . despite the spandex . . .
at the throwback party of the first part . . .
Entering a makeshift room . . . garments billowing . . .
Bangles (with mantra) leading the way . . . for your erotic other . . .

Screen Dump 122

Who are we, if not . . . an inventory of objects.
          - Italo Calvino

The high rent aisles in the supermarket . . . abuzz with coupons . . .
and other short-term investment loopholes . . .
The he saids and the she saids streaming along Netflix . . .
going at it tooth and nail . . .
with nary a shopping cart between them . . .
comparing metrics . . .
for love and hate . . . love and sex . . . sex and hate . . .
May I say you look absolutely redemptive in that getup . . .
I’ll bet it cost an arm and a leg . . .
You have lubricated the valve trombone's splutterings . . .
and examined - up close and personal - the cash-flow(charts) . . .
You are well on your way to Utopia . . .
despite your fascination with cheat sheets . . . and washed-up unicorns . . .
Of course, there's just so much you can absorb . . .
as the drama continues to unfold . . .
in the small upstate New York hamlet of your choice . . .
So too you . . .

David Leslie Anthony

Screen Dump 121

You played dress-up with expensive lipstick at the Acropolis . . .
Pocketing stones from here and there . . .
Climbing the steep stairs to the upper room . . .
where they had reputedly gathered . . .
Thirteen portraits of doormats . . .
Is it a doormat or a painting of a doormat? . . .
You grew tired of playing a doormat . . .
And smeared lipstick - à la Heath Ledger - to make yourself unfathomable . . .
From moment to moment . . . to evidentiary moment . . .
The steep stairs to the next of seven levels . . .
Preparing for the audition . . . assuming a wilted position . . .
Your livingness eclipsing the precariousness of happiness . . .
I needed to go to CVS to pick up a prescription . . .
The parking lot at the Acropolis was full . . . I was turned away . . .
The nightmare gaining momentum . . .
Stopped and strip searched for stones . . . at McDonald's . . .
Smearing lipstick on Ronald's autographed portrait . . .
I'm not the only one here not making any sense . . .
You too have seen it in the cards she laid out . . .
with the precision of a diamond cutter . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 120

The street of mannequins . . . awaits your induction . . .
a Chaos Theory of ho-hums . . .
false starts . . . blind alleys . . .
Players . . . within players . . . within players . . .
have paid their dues . . .
for a peek . . . at you . . . Cinderella of the New . . .
years of abstinence . . . facials . . .
the eroticism of obscure symmetry . . .
Your glass slipper . . . on camera . . . bagged as evidence . . .

Paolo Roversi

Screen Dump 119

The laundry has moved out-of-state . . .
leaving you with unanswered emails . . . and impossible dreams . . .
Insinuations aside, there will be crossings . . .
and crossovers . . . and crosstrainers . . .
and crossdressers . . .
Yesterday wants to return . . .
and you agree . . . in principle . . .
Your hand was played out in the chorus line at the bar . . .
Your lips - full and optimistic - were synced . . .
with the inoffensive tap selections . . .
and low-cal menu . . .
Your voice has suggested a boxed set of anachronisms . . .
to go with your neon pink lycra shorts and tank top . . .
Do you still love what you loved? . . .
Do you still stalk the fast forward? . . .
If you were to again read these lines . . .
would you be able to disregard the blank pages . . .
the blank stares? . . .
Why do you insist on parsing recycled sentences . . .
when the moments are few . . .
and the stargazers have zipped up their hoodies . . .
for an overnight . . .
an overnight filled with the sadness of gramophones . . .
and the folding/unfolding of the ocean? . . .

Paolo Roversi

Woman XLV

A tit for a tat . . . imagine that
purred the cat . . . listening to Bird
parse Ornithology.

Peter Yang

Screen Dump 118

Why do you . . . jingle your bracelets in mere idle sport?
          - Rabindranath Tagore, The Gardener

Peterpanitis . . . in a path-oh-logical game . . . of give and take . . .
a game . . . of thrones . . .
Demanding . . . with pout . . . that he/she play a role . . .
in the latest installment . . .
the latest catch-as-catch-can . . .
with you again as always on top . . . in control . . .
Why should "they" have all the fun? . . .
Balking . . . becoming discombobulated . . .
becoming obsessed with the riddle of opposites . . .
with the out-of-sorts attractions . . .
with the mirror image of requests . . .
tagged in Facebook's trailer park . . .
Is this why the past is still here? . . .
Why they couldn't put Humpty together again? . . .
Something about being frozen . . . in time? . . .
in chain mail? . . .
The emptiness of the final analysis . . .
You expose more than your hand . . .
then tally onlookers . . .
counting birthstones sparkling in the afterglow of your wake . . .
as unconvincing as . . .

David Benoliel

Screen Dump 117

Words are few.
          - Samuel Beckett, A Piece of Monologue

I underline your words . . . capture in charcoal your undulations . . .
Following the path you mapped . . . for others . . .
Blindfolded . . . on horseback . . .
You draw lost causes . . . and lamentations . . . as if nothing . . .
Your bankrupt cereal bowl . . . (pause) . . .
Think of the times . . . (faces turn down) . . .
Seductrix of organ donors . . . unending specimens . . .
For next to nothing . . . even though a county fair . . .
The Aesthetics of Japanese Design . . .
Folding back the corner of the page . . .
Now look at what you've done! . . .
Passing you on the way to the subway . . .
Bags of groceries chatting up jaw lines and other such irreconcilables . . .
Meeting for a bite . . . the spiraling down . . .
Tailspinning with cadavers, yes? . . . Ours so meager . . . yet . . .

David Benoliel