İstanbul School: John Ash

Excerpt from The Parthian Stations

The auguries, the inaugurations
Proceed at vast expense, banquet after banquet.
A fire of the mind is invoked, and this is what
We must live with as the century raises itself
On crippled limbs to proclaim victory.
Neither Alexander nor Trajan combined
Such arrogance with ignorance
But, in the end, what difference does it make?
Persepolis burned, and Fallujah is emptied.

İstanbul School: Sidney Wade

Time is Money [from the collection Celestial Bodies]

Gray nickels up
in the east--

the forecast
is dire, but

it is a stately sight.
Dogs are whirping

at the moon in China
and a string quartet

has rattled out
an ardent arabesque

that brings consumers
to their knees.

Here is a common heresy:
Things are Bleak.

See here--this bag
of olives on my lap

is radiating happily
its currency.

Let’s slurp it up
in unison

and celebrate
inflation for a change.

And racket.
Let’s celebrate as well

that quarter
where wind smells

like wet steel
and the children

laugh unshod and holler
through their hands.

Where black
moons flower

in the desert.
Where power

of attorney
counts for nothing.

Where time is racing
through the sluicegates,

every second
riotous in diamonds.

This world is burning
up in beauty.

The İstanbul School

I saw this article in Feb 17th's Economist, and Dan's name jumped out. We haven't heard any more details. His service is March 17 in Alabama, and I sent the citation to Chris to send on to his family. The article is A Byzantine Journey, a review of John Ash's The Parthian Stations.

When Mr. Ash's 2004 collection "To the City" came out, Poetry, a leading American literary magazine, said that he "could be the best English poet of his generation". Now he may also be the doyen of a new "Istanbul School".

Several English-speaking poets are publishing work that, like Mr. Ash's, use the city as a vivid background against which to weave themes of East and West. There is the easy fluidity of Sidney Wade of Florida, the wry melancholy of Mel Kenne of Texas and the keen eye of Alabama's late Daniel Pendergrass for the theater of the streets. James Wilde of Canada writes savagelyof war, Edward Foster pens gay odes and George Messo, an Englishman, is working on an epic.

I went digging around to see what this İstanbul School was. Too bad blogs are always in reverse. Today will be a day to post recipes and poetry, but you'll only know why after [and if] you read through all of them to get here.

Rosie says ...

I have so many issues with this. I like my poetry to have rhythm and flow. Or at least punctuation. This one just clomps along with all the grace of a bull-dyke at a rave. But I like the politics, so ... te presento: Rosie's latest blog entry:

so what happens
when u say the emperor has no clothes
the comb over goes ballistic
via phone to mr king

choices
every minute
every day
everyone

i imagine it is interesting
as celeb feuds tend 2 b
so here r my thoughts

didnt watch
didnt u tube
restrict

i have no time 2 make art now
i am only off friday
which is never enuf
to detox

the pipes get full
bits of sludge
clog the flow

so tiny books
now
express in torn images
my inside

i was raised reading ms magazine
i remember the burning of bras
as women demanded equality
in unison

beauty pageants
where women were paraded around
judged valuable or not
by old white men

it is always old white men

they added a talent portion
and gave away college degrees
they evolved - beauty pageants
and eventually - nearly faded away
for good

remember the seventies

a young girl in nyc
meets a pimp
he cons her into a life of illusion
she works for him

no fun - no fucking - no future
she is owned
when she sneaks out -
to party the night away
he freaks

he roughs her up a bit
shames her in front of the others
teaches her to behave
for his own benefit

and just when we lost all hope
cagney and lacey showed up
they cuff the pimp
they free the girl

marybeth and christine
would never
be friends with a pimp

this is reality tv
like it or not
same same same
as vivi says

Dispatches from Another Planet

The truth is, I had no idea who Star Jones was before she was fired from her tv show. It's probably a good thing, because I only have so much hate in my heart and I'm saving it all for the White House.

Oh, but apparently I was missing out. This is from the official amazon.com review of her book Shine: A Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Journey to Finding Love . As far as I can tell the review is not a satire.

Or rather, it wasn't intended to be a satire. Personally, I'm viewing it as a piece of found poetry. I've added six ellipses and rearranged the spacing, otherwise, this is it, verbatim.

Star Jones Reynolds had done it all.

College on scholarship,

law school on loans,

and life by faith.

Then why was she feeling so down?

It all began when Star took a close look

at herself

and her life

and realized she wasn't happy with what she saw:

obesity precluded her from crossing her legs,

she needed an asthma inhaler,

she couldn't fasten her own necklace,

and, worst of all,

she got too tired to shop – a disaster

because Star Jones Reynolds is

a seriously committed shopper.

Then she realized something else:

with all her extraordinary accomplishments,

none of it mattered

without true love.

Star decided to make it happen.

She began a personal journey to reconstitute

her physical look,

emotional state,

and already strong

spirituality.

Unless you live on another planet,

you know

Star succeeded in her quest

and did find true love

-- and it wasn't that hard at all.

In Shine, she shares it all

in her wise,

revealing,

irreverent,

laugh-out-loud style.

Part One guides women

toward being their most attractive

physical selves

using Star's personal secrets on

losing weight and

finding hair,

fashion, and

makeup chic

(inexpensively)

Part Two asks tough questions

about emotional preparedness

for a relationship and

shows you how to

think

like

lawyers

Part Three delves into a woman's spiritual life –

discover how to

talk

to

God

no matter what your religion.

Everyone knows

Star Jones Reynolds is a success story,

a happy,

rough-edges-to-emotional-and-financial-riches tale.

Until you read this book,

you won't know how she got there

-- and how you can echo her triumphs

and shine.

Somewhere in La Mancha ...

A dose of culture fights police corruption

Wire services El Universal Lunes 23 de octubre de 2006 Miami Herald, página 1

By teaching police officers personal development and ethics, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl aims to stave off corruption in the police force

CIUDAD NEZAHUALCÓYOTL, State of Mexico - On a recent afternoon, two dozen municipal police officers glided around a classroom in their socks, 9 mm submachine guns and pistols slung at their hips. "Don´t be shy," said their instructor, encouraging them to slide their feet across a pile of brightly colored books strewn on the floor. "Let your toes do the exploring." So what is this? A strange new fetish? Some eccentric fad? Not quite. Officials in this rough area east of Mexico City are trying to transform their police officers, among the most reviled members of Mexican society, by giving them a dose of culture: Classic literature, poetry, chess - and even sliding around in their socks if that´s what it takes. ... His solution: A nine-point program that combines traditional police training with personal development and ethics. In addition to attending biweekly literature courses, officers must take computer classes, keep fit and learn to play chess - to improve their strategizing. ... The most novel aspect of the program is the literature courses. The curriculum blends such classics as Don Quijote de la Mancha with crime novels. The goal is to persuade officers to read one book a month, not an easy task in a country where one study showed that 40 percent of those older than 15 don´t read books. ... "People think police are ignorant and corrupt, and that we don´t care about anyone but ourselves," said Pedro Martínez, whose first-person account of a shoot-out was chosen for publication. "But it´s a lie. And we´re proving it by what we write." He said he had also developed an appreciation for reading - particularly Don Quijote. The officers created their own version of the 400-year-old Spanish classic by subbing key words with police code and acting it out. "They´re like me and my partner," Martínez said of Quijote and his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza. "You always need a shield, someone to cover your back." Amador has the backing of the new mayor, Víctor Bautista, a former leftist activist who has a personal interest in improving the police force. In 1982, he said he was briefly jailed and tortured by security forces during the government´s so-called dirty war against its opponents. Amador said those types of complaints are decreasing. "After two years of this program," he said, "I can categorically affirm that our officers are better police - and better citizens."

Amis. A found poem.

It's actually been a good month for poetry. I found this one night lying in a Jack in the Box parking lot. It was scrawled across four unlined pages, front and back, and all in the same hand writing. The lines and spaces are the writer's own. I don't think her partner ever wrote back, so this is all one person's voice.

And that is all you need to know for now ...

---

Are you ready to stop - to detox?

---

waiting
Take blood
Find vein
She's filling all those up so you only
get stuck once

IV

---

Electrolytes / vitamins
The shot you got into your iv was
the Ativan. When Dr. comes, I'm going
to ask for more.

Pee?

---

They haven't admitted you yet because
they need doctor consent and I the jerk
at the Waikiki Health Center didn't give it.
So I think they're going to change your provider
to someone who will consent.

---

She's most recent winner of American Idol

---

How old were you when you started
drinking?

[new page]

BA low below .10 but she says
that's why DT's so bad. And usually
they're worse after 72 hours, so that's the concern.

She's admitting you and getting you
more Ativan. Whether I can stay is up
to the nurse and floor where you go to stay.

They're going to send you for a brain scan
and send you to a room.

She also said they will give you little
pushes of Ativan if you feel you need it.
It sounds like is no limit as long as you
have evidence of symptoms.

She's also going to have someone meet w/ you
to give you info. On long-term detoxing
programs.

If they think you don't want to stop
drinking they're sending you home today with

---

NOTHING - they'll send you home so you
can drink. They will only help if they think
you want to stop drinking-so say you do!

[new page]

you will get dinner.

I'm starving, can I use your card to get
something cheap?

[new page]

- 2 or more days

- I'm going to tell them you're insistent
that I stay with you and that you may
refuse to be here if I can't.

- Ativan by IV. An hour after you get
it, you need to complain that it's not
helping much and can they give you more.

---

IV much stronger and faster

---

Dr. just checked on you. Next
time he comes in, I'm going to say
the Ativan didn't work.

[new page]

I realise you must be very frustrated right
now and the nurse care really sucks! But I'm
doing my best and would appreciate if you'd stop
being mean to me.

I'm so pissed off at the nurses. I'm doing
their jobs. They're lousy. What's going to happen
when I have to go to my Dr. tomorrow?

---

She asked if you have problems seeing

---

If anyone from social services or your Dr. comes
while I'm gone, ask them if they can come back
after 1:00 so I can be here to help communicate

---

I have my dr. appt. at 10:00

---

Do I have to do the CC again?

---

Vitamins

---

Potassium - you have to eat bananas

---

They're taking it out soon anyway.

---

You don't pay attention to ANY form of
communication anymore. It's not your hearing
you just act like you don't care what I have to
say. Just read these pages and see how many times
I've had to write the same thing to you.
Now - what I said was what about the tent you
found?

---

I'm sorry if I'm irritable but you have been a handful
(and not because you needed care) and I have hardly eaten
in 2 days and I haven't had any meds of my own or to
counter the fact that I'm not drinking. I'm tired & hungry.

[new page]

My Dr. took emergency leave and
won't be back until Monday. They won't
be able to see me until Monday.

---

For you but I'm out. We'll need to get me a
few pills from your mom's $ ok?

Secret word Amis (What's the Dog's name?)
Amis

---

Since I already told everyone I'm leaving
now, I should go and will be back ASAP.
Now's a good time, right?

---

We'll go. I want you here until afternoon,
at least. That way you can shower and rest-up.
I think it may be better today to avoid the
social svcs. people. But I want you here
for your health until tomorrow.

---

Matt does need the $10.00 for the dime-bag
you promised you would pay for. Otherwise, you'll get
at all. Don't you trust me?

---

I'm going to sell pills. We'll be ok. Besides,
if we stop drinking alcohol, we'll save about $400.00
per month or more - But you

---

Are you going to run out and buy a bottle? Be
honest. Then go ahead and check-out today but
later. Rest as much as you can or will you feel
immediately better?

---

Not until I talk to them. It will take hours
for you to get out of here. We should tell them
now so they can get started.

Like 3-5 hours.

[new page]

Ativan

I told your nurse that I need a time frame as to
when you can be discharged because you're ready
to leave and I'm hoping to get a prescription and
referral first. He's calling the Dr.

---

I told him you want to go now and asked him to
call the dr. to get discharge instructions so we
could get you taken care of before you leave.

---

There going to discharge you with no
meds. Since you won't wait for Dr.


This woman is going to yell at us. If we don't
need to stay near Matt I'd tell both of them to
FOAD.

---

I told him he acted like the $10.00 was more
important than your life.

---

I CAN'T go to jail NOW. My daughter's
birthday is tomorrow AND I need to get pills.
I don't want to take the risk. If you want to,
I'll help, but I don't want to go down with
you tonight. I CAN'T. Either we stay in
Waikiki a few more nights or the burden is on you. You choose
Simone's B-Day / 1 year ago!

[new page]

I am sorry about giving Tom some what of an
attitude. and the money isn't most important, but
you must understand also where I was coming
from. I told the guy I would pay him Tuesday
and it wasn't able to happen and I didn't
want the guy thinking my word is "crap."
I could care less about the stupid money
I was just wanting to pay off the money
I owe. o.k.

---

It's 6:00
Let's check the tent first!

---

the one you
wanted to look
at on the way
to Times -
before the
bus to Times

---

Sport Goods

Not far
enough away.
We need to meet
at Ala Moana
If you want me
to do it.

---

Wait for them to
leave, then grab
the beer. Also
put everything in
your pocket and
hide your
backpack.

---

Come
to
Hearing
Aids

---

Leave

---

I grab
cart &
we go
to bus
STRAIGHT

I Could Give All To Time

It's been awhile since I tumbled across a new poem. For some reason I was thinking about Wally Stegner at lunch. Hell if I know why. He was a friend of my grandparents, but I wasn't really being nostalgic. It was just one of those random thoughts that seem to wander in out of the ether: hey, I wonder where Wally Stegner got the title to his books?

Like I said, random. But I googled Angle of Repose [which turns out to be the angle that an aggregate forms while resting on a slope] and Crossing to Safety. And I found a wonderful poem by Robert Frost, one that I'm not sure I knew before, but that seemed quite appropriate for the day.

I Could Give All To Time

To Time it never seems that he is brave
To set himself against the peaks of snow
To lay them level with the running wave,
Nor is he overjoyed when they lie low,
But only grave, contemplative and grave.

What now is inland shall be ocean isle,
Then eddies playing around a sunken reef
Like the curl at the corner of a smile;
And I could share Time's lack of joy or grief
At such a planetary change of style.

I could give all to Time except - except
What I myself have held. But why declare
The things forbidden that while the Customs slept
I have crossed to Safety with? For I am There,
And what I wouldnot part with I have kept.

my theology of rose and tiger

Roy called last night and couldn't sleep. I figured poetry would do the trick, and pulled out one of my books. He asked for something nice. I gave him this.

Untitled

When,I,was,no,bigger,than,a,huge,
Star,in,my,self,I,began,to,write,

My,
Theology,
Of,rose,and,

Tiger: till,I,burned,with,their,
Pure,and,Rage. Then,was,I,Wrath-

Ful,
And,most,
Gentle: most,

Dark,and,most,Lit: in,me,an,
Eye,there,grew: springing,Vision,

Its,
Gold,and,
Its,wars. Then,

I,knew,the,Lord,was,not,my,Creator!
--Not,He,the,Unbegotten--but,I,saw,

The,
Creator,
Was,I--and,

I,began,to,Die,and,I,began,to,Grow.

Jose Garcia Villa
1962

watch out for signs of particular friendships

Just when we thought we were safe, and that Bush was down for the count ... the Sith Lord Benedetto rears his ugly head.

These are excerpts from this morning's New York Times:

Vatican to Check U.S. Seminaries on Gay Presence

By Laurie Goldstein

Published: September 15, 2005

Investigators appointed by the Vatican have been instructed to review each of the 229 Roman Catholic seminaries in the United States for "evidence of homosexuality" and for faculty members who dissent from church teaching, according to a document prepared to guide the process.

...

In a possible indication of the ruling's contents, the American archbishop who is supervising the seminary review said last week that "anyone who has engaged in homosexual activity or has strong homosexual inclinations," should not be admitted to a seminary.

Edwin O'Brien, archbishop for the United States military, told The National Catholic Register that the restriction should apply even to those who have not been sexually active for a decade or more.

American seminaries are under Vatican review as a result of the sexual abuse scandal that swept the priesthood in 2002. Church officials in the United States and Rome agreed that they wanted to take a closer look at how seminary candidates were screened for admission, and whether they were being prepared for lives of chastity and celibacy.

...

But some church officials in the United States and in Rome, including some bishops and many conservatives, attributed the abuse to gay priests and called for an overhaul of the seminaries. Expectation for such a move rose this year with the election of Pope Benedict XVI, who has spoken of the need to "purify" the church.

...

The catechism of the Catholic Church says people with "deep-seated" homosexual tendencies must live in chastity because "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."

...

The seminary review, called an apostolic visitation, will send teams appointed by the Vatican to the 229 seminaries, which have more than 4,500 students. The last such review began about 25 years ago and took six years to complete.

At each seminary, the visitors are to conduct confidential interviews with every faculty member and seminarian, as well as everyone who graduated in the last three years.

A 12-page document with instructions for the review is now being distributed to seminarians and faculty members. It asks whether the doctrine on the priesthood presented by the seminary is "solidly based on the church's Magisterium," or teaching, and whether teachers and seminarians "accept this teaching." Among the other questions are these:

¶"Is there a clear process for removing from the seminary faculty members who dissent from the authoritative teaching of the church or whose conduct does not provide good example to future priests?"

¶"Is the seminary free from the influences of New Age and eclectic spirituality?"

¶"Do the seminarians or faculty members have concerns about the moral life of those living in the institution? (This question must be answered)."

¶"Is there evidence of homosexuality in the seminary? (This question must be answered)."

The questionnaire also asks whether faculty members "watch out for signs of particular friendships."

...

"It says to gay priests, many of whom are hard-working, faithful men who live their promises of celibacy with integrity, that you should never have been ordained," he said.

Caught in that sensual music

Some people get songs stuck in their heads all day. Lately I've been getting fragments of poems. Today it's been Yeats. The problem is I don't actually know the poem - only the first line [though I can hum the rest - heh]. I could try to drive the fragment out of my thoughts, the way you do with irritating tunes. But why fight it, when it is so much more pleasurable to succumb?

Sailing to Byzantium

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees -
Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.

Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

William Butler Yeats