Friday, May 1, 2015

The version as unrevolutionary act


un- (1) Look up un- at Dictionary.com
prefix of negation, Old English un-, from Proto-Germanic *un- (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German, German un-, Gothic un-, Dutch on-), from PIE *n- (source of Sanskrit a-an- "not," Greek a-an-, Old Irish an-, Latin in-), comb. form of PIE root *ne "not" (cognates: Avestan na, Old Church Slavonic and Lithuanian ne "not," Latin ne "that not," Greek ne- "not," Old Irish ni, Cornish ny "not"). Often euphemistic (such as untruth for "lie").

The most prolific of English prefixes, freely and widely used in Old English, where it forms more than 1,000 compounds. It underwent a mass extinction in early Middle English, but emerged with renewed vigor 16c. to form compounds with native and imported words. It disputes with Latin-derived cognate in- (1) the right to form the negation of certain words (indigestable/undigestable, etc.), and though both might be deployed in cooperation to indicate shades of meaning (unfamous/infamous), typically they are not.

It also makes words from phrases (such as uncalled-for, c. 1600; undreamed-of, 1630s; uncome-at-able, 1690s; unputdownable, 1947, of a book; un-in-one-breath-utterable, Ben Jonson; etc., but the habit is not restricted to un-; such as put-up-able-with, 1812). As a prefix in telegramese to replace not and save the cost of a word, it is attested by 1936.

1774; see revolution + -ary. As a noun, from 1850 (cf revolutionist).
revolution (n.) Look up revolution at Dictionary.com
late 14c., originally of celestial bodies, from Old French revolucion "course, revolution (of celestial bodies)" (13c.), or directly from Late Latin revolutionem (nominative revolutio) "a revolving," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin revolvere "turn, roll back" (see revolve).

General sense of "instance of great change in affairs" is recorded from mid-15c. Political meaning "overthrow of an established political system" first recorded c. 1600, derived from French, and was especially applied to the expulsion of the Stuart dynasty under James II in 1688 and transfer of sovereignty to William and Mary.

revolve (v.) Look up revolve at Dictionary.com
late 14c., "to change direction, bend around, turn (the eyes) back," from Old French revolver and directly from Latin revolvere "roll back, unroll, unwind; happen again, return; go over, repeat," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + volvere "to roll" (see volvox). In 15c., "to turn over (in the mind or heart), meditate." Meaning "travel around a central point" first recorded 1660s (earlier "cause to travel in an orbit around a central point," mid-15c.). Related: Revolvedrevolving.

volvox (n.) Look up volvox at Dictionary.com
genus of fresh-water algae, 1798, from Latin volvere "to roll," from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve," with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects (cognates: Sanskrit valate"turns round," ulvam "womb, vulva;" Lithuanian valtis "twine, net," vilnis "wave," apvalus "round;" Old Church Slavonic valiti "roll, welter," vlŭna "wave;" Greek eluo "wind, wrap," helix "spiral object," eilein "to turn, squeeze;" Gothic walwjan "to roll;" Old English wealwian "roll," weoloc "whelk, spiral-shelled mollusk;" Old High German walzan "to roll, waltz;" Old Irish fulumain "rolling;" Welsh olwyn "wheel"). So called from their motion.

version (n.) Look up version at Dictionary.com
1580s, "a translation," from Middle French version, from Medieval Latin versionem (nominative versio) "a turning, a translation," from past participle stem of Latin vertere "to turn, change, alter, translate" (see versus). Also with a Middle English sense of "destruction;" the meaning "particular form of a description" is first attested 1788.

versus (prep.) Look up versus at Dictionary.com
mid-15c., in legal case names, denoting action of one party against another, from Latin versus "turned toward or against," from past participle of vertere (frequentative versare) "to turn, turn back, be turned, convert, transform, translate, be changed," from PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (cognates: Old English -weard "toward," originally "turned toward," weorthan "to befall," wyrd "fate, destiny," literally "what befalls one;" Sanskrit vartate "turns round, rolls;" Avestan varet- "to turn;" Old Church Slavonic vrŭteti "to turn, roll," Russian vreteno "spindle, distaff;" Lithuanian ver čiu "to turn;" Greek rhatane "stirrer, ladle;" German werden, Old English weorðan "to become" (for sense, compare turn into); Welsh gwerthyd "spindle, distaff;" Old Irish frith "against").

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The only person who knows our number is a scammer who rings up with concern for malicious activity, detected at our address.  I checked the curtains but the curtains are still closed. No, no, he says, he is from the Technical Department of Windows. Like Apple. It's computers. He's been so long out there on the great telephonic highways that he doesn't realise nothing is technical. Everything is windows. The jig is up.

Well look, I tell him, my mother is dying. The sprouts are boiling over. Do something useful with your brief life! Just leave me alone.

He rings off, vanishing back down the deserted landline. I hang up and pick up again, checking the tone. I need a script for next time. Dial hard, doughty brigand. Don't forget to call home.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

a dad comes running down Irvine with his girl on a trolley, careening towards the corner: WHICH WAY? WHICH WAY? he screams and she screams THAT WAY, flinging her arm out into the blurry world where I am behind a window unlatching you with one finger, bringing you to the other shoulder and adjusting the pillow. now the girl is pelting up Piddington in gumboots that come to her knees, then she's gone. you make small skittering noises and I rub your back firmly. lorikeets witter around the oak's lower branches, and a lone dog with wild blond fur gallops down Irvine, across Piddington and up Kerferd, glancing back as it rounds the bend. the girl runs down Piddington, pauses and looks up Irvine, then takes off down Irvine. I bare my breast. you pitch your body in and latch yourself. it's starting to rain. the dog is running up Irvine, towing the girl on the trolley. trees are emptying their forms, yellow expanding as a screen.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

I'm surprised that I really like it. I'm surprised that I want to lie next to him, that I want to wake up in the morning, and that war doesn't bother me. I can't remember any evidence that my choices have led to war. In fact I've moved further away from war. There's no one I would kill. There's nothing that makes me feel I need to kill. I've moved to a place where I'm happy, and other people are happy. When my nipples hurt I think of him eating and the milk comes. My husband has finally got the right fittings for his barbecue.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

  "If the king did not, without tiring, inflict punishment on those worthy to be punished, the stronger would roast the weaker, like fish on a spit;
   The crow would eat the sacrificial cake and the dog would lick the sacrificial viands, and ownership would not remain with any one, the lower ones would (usurp the place of) the higher ones."
Manusmriti, 7.20 - 7.21

you'd let a rat walk you on a leash you'd let a thief drop filth on the royal road your womb would house a desiccant for twice ten months then fall out at your knees for the ingrate to bat you'd host pirates and perverts lickers and the lame you'd weave your mother's hair into a bridge for barbarians to cross then watch them burn it behind them still knitted to her head you'd take orders for war from the groom of the stool and skin a ragman's donkey for a victory cloak and pay the ragman quittance with your daughter's own hand and warm the ragman's backside burning the papers of the land 

so this is kindness

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

working on abandoned house music (which needs another title)

it's true that her voice is not that qualified - she has worked herself into an ecstatic state, this is her pregnancy, pregnant with his return, and so she sees that return in the gaps and the decay and the collapse of systems, which regenerate as they collapse.

the guard, the police, the koel as soft as police - I don't know what to make of them except they are superseded law, the koel is the messenger - to another time.

song thread through - do I really want to go to Christmas Island? I don't think so? Is there still something to catch about abandonment? The child of the future?

they don't regenerate as they collapse; rather it's that through the collapse they are fertile. as large systems collapse, fertility is rife.

working at the same time on how to describe this book.

it is nearly done. 'it is nearly done'. been saying that for a long while. but now just a hinge, and maybe some new names. When it's done I know I will be proud. raising the bar. and I hope there will be a publisher. feeling the certainty when it's a good job is worthwhile.

there's a little section now 'messenger' which has the koel as the messenger, going to the future. I don't know what it says there. it is the nest thief, the one who is sown for another to reap.

what has it to do with the child who is against the fence. this is very present. the message is from the past. 

Sunday, February 1, 2015



what we'll do is remove the dusty fly-spotted umbrella light-shade from over the bed, and we'll put there something that catches the will of the leaves outside the windows and holds it in the centre of the room. a leaf doesn't have an individual life, but it seems to, and the green at the middle of that life is what I'll feed you. that will come in as milk, translucent blue humming calculation of unthought.

when you were smaller and a life but less a person you were in appearance closer to death, nestled in against a puddle that showed as a shadow, wave, brother, yin, memory, ghost, wave that swelled for an exit and then held, organized, and absorbed in itself, was absorbed. that's yours now too, earth for the green-blue light and the song of the wagtails. earth for the air to be untranslated, straight to your lungs.

should I mention scarcity and the fires to come? but your blood is of that language, tipping and will be so while your hands find the way to your mouth. mouth wet and working in joy's animation of hunger. i've cleaned the skirting and the grout. it's rained through all of January but there's sunlight on the bed. you're on your way, you're on your way. for now, a bit of sleep.