Poem of the Month

Because I’ll die

I’ll die and someday this will all be gone
This spot
My clients
This class
Rachel Ephraim
Josh’s apartment
Scott, Scott’s cat
All of Rochester
Mike and his house in the suburbs
All those feelings I thought were so real

I could just keep caring
Caring about everything
About every word
Said or imagined
About every thoughts or feeling
Weighed against me
About every idea here or there that cannot be understood
I can make it matter so much
And yet

I will die

And even Nick will be gone
And these young handsome men
With tattoos on their backs
Who are walking by
And the people who take themselves seriously
Or don’t
And the beauty
In so many faces
The beauty they don’t know

The need to be right
Or recriminate
The need to feel my family
Should have been there
Or the universe should have provided
A safer net
Or that I was wrong
Or right
At any turn
To just feel like the silence isn’t enough

To feel wrong
Or right
Is just
Nothing

Because is it over
Already
Already it
Never happened
Already
There is no person to be mad at
There is no person to receive
The anger

There is no recrimination
There is no wrong or right
In what I did or did not do
In what they did or did not do

It was all just form
Taking its turn
Around the dance floor

And I’ll die
So it’s okay

And I’ll die, Josh,
So it’s okay you didn’t love me

And I’ll die, Rachel
So it’s okay you will go away

And I’ll die, Amber
So it’s okay that you don’t like me

And I’ll die, Betsy
So it’s okay

And I’ll die, Victor
So it’s already okay

And I’ll die, Mom,
So thank you for giving me life

And I’ll die, Dad,
So thank you for supporting this child’s body

And I’ll die, Rochester,
Hometown, with all your welcome and unwelcome
Your kindness and tiredness

And I’ll die, and so will you, and it will one day be as
If neither had been here at all

None of these grilled cheese sandwiches
None of these gray-haired women who love their food so much

And the youth and beauty of the Latin women and their text books
And the sun of the June day in this double-numbered year
And if people think I am crazy
And if people think I am lazy
And if people will not respect me
And if the person that is Nina Alvarez will not respect herself
And if the money continues to dwindle
And if it goes out like a candle
And if the nerves in her cheeks were sallow

And if the look in her eyes was haunted
And if she hadn’t the tools to fix their griefs
And if she hadn’t the tools to save a heart
And if she hadn’t the tools to make the world move

And if she felt or was small
And if she had little or was poor
and if she showed up in this strange world with all sorts of weird feelings
that made her tingle but had little resonance
if she did not reconcile while she was here
the things in her head to the things of the earth
if she did not reconcile
the things in her head to the things of the earth
and even if she did
reconcile
the things of her heart to some things

even if she did

it is okay

 

abandoned only because academic usage had made it lifeless.

abandoned realism but used it for the painting of feeling

abandoned. In this way the material object was made more abstract

like a tennis ball over the net between the two parties

 

above the clouds.

 

absolute necessity to the composition, or should they be replaced

absolute shadow-side to the picture, never a piece of unrelieved

 

abstract by the concrete and spoil the concrete by the abstract.

abstract form, we shall produce works which are mere decoration,

abstract, but is applied as an element of some other object, and

abstract, the non-material. Consciously or unconsciously they are

abstract, their mutual relations, either individually or as parts

abstraction.

 

abuse him as charlatan or madman. So in his lifetime stood

 

academism. Even music has a grammar, which, although modified

 

according to the relation to other forms of the form which causes

 

accuracy of form to the inner need, the material of which his art

accurately speaks, such a mixture produces what is called

 

an artistic expansion of space. The combination of both

 

achieved simultaneously by several forms of art, each art

achieves greater prominence.

 

active element gradually disappears. But this active element is

active force, for they stand the, one in motionless discord, the

active warmth of yellow or the active coolness of blue

 

admirably expressed it. But in everything he did he showed the

admixture of black, for black quenches the glow, or at least

 

advances, what is today a phrase of inner harmony becomes

 

affections dark as Erebus: Let no such man be trusted. Mark the

 

after a new sense of form approached the same problem. Cezanne

 

Again, let us take the case of the definitely religious picture.

against black with clear strength.

 

Light yellow against white is

against materialism,

against the demand that everything should be

aggressive character.

all intent dies the moment the atmosphere alters which nourished

all these open great vistas of artistic possibility.

All these works have the solemn and regular architecture of a

“symbolist” school

almost a household word. the name of the movement is

the alone of the language, of sound and beat stands alone, without

alone.

 

And at times when the human soul is gaining greater strength, art

and blue, colours in themselves of no physical relationship, but

and blue. Harmony today rests chiefly on the principle of

and complementary one to the other. Conversely, at those times

and contradiction, we can draw the easy conclusion that for a

And conversely, self-sacrifice, mutual help, lofty thoughts,

and devote ourselves purely to combination of pure colour and

and disposes, as he wills, these three elements. IT IS CLEAR,

and drawings by Kandinsky.

and emerge as the ballet.

and especially between music and painting. Goethe said that

and fear, etc.–are too material and naive for the abstract ideas

and fears. When one stage has been accomplished, and many evil

and finally impotent, so the spirit perishes if untended. And for

and finally, since a book of such drawings by a child of twelve

and grandiloquent language. Partly for this reason, partly from

and grief. These artists have filled their pictures with a bitter

and have different spiritual values.

 

and yellow is as close as between black and blue, for blue can be

 

angles and abruptness. In the second case motion and dance are

angles. So his aim is smaller and more limited than Kandinsky’s

 

another uses its methods, so that the methods may afterwards be

 

answer, there is always a possibility that the same “something”

 

antithesis–an ex-and concentric movement. If two circles are

 

anxiety to state his case, to court criticism, the author has

 

Any attempt to free painting from this material limitation

any clearness and moderation. Some people will say that any such

any human being. Sensitives cannot, for example, remain in a room

Any preponderance in green of yellow or blue introduces a

anything “as it really is” and without fantastic imagination.

 

Apollinaire, “Les Peintres Cubistes.” Collection Les Arts. Paris,

 

appeal of an upright triangle is more steadfast and quiet than

appeal of the nothingness that is before birth, of the world in

appeal to men grows weaker and more distant. In music a light

appeal, and the inclination of the colour to yellow or to blue,

appeal, but assuming either a more material or more non-material

appeal, or must remain a purely non-material symbol.

 

applause. It is very important for the artist to gauge his

 

application of every method, but that that power must be

applied to the borrower’s art from the beginning, and suitably.

 

appreciated by people today; but a modern work of art which is

 

approach the problem of the spirit by way of the INNER knowledge.

approaching the spectator, the cold ones retreating from him.

 

are sympathetic to him, and expresses himself through them. So

are the sad, middle tones of a cello. A cold, light red contains

are there, certainly, but they get no further than the nerves,

are therefore four shades of appeal–warm and light or warm and

are tragic or passionate poems. He also sacrifices conventional

are unmusical–either wholly, by nature, or partly, for lack of

are used as symbols, almost as though they were mere

arise a crowd of gifted and skilful painters, so easy does the

 

art (this is the element of pure artistry, which is constant in

art an abstraction of thought and arrive finally at purely

art held general sway over the “Naturalist.” The Primitive

art is a false analogy, and that for a trained man or woman to

art is an ever-advancing expression of the eternal and objective

art is necessarily nobler than the “naturalist.” I am making no

art that is still-born. It is impossible for us to live and feel,

art. But here I use the term in the narrower sense to mean

art. Picasso’s admirers hail him, just as this Introduction hails

art. Talk of the coming “style” becomes more frequent daily. But

art. Until such time, it is the duty of those to whom his work

artist is a man who can draw and paint everything,” said Tolstoi.

artist up to a certain definite point. This point has been fixed

artist, as a creator, has something in him which calls for

artist, as child of his age, is impelled to express the spirit of

artist, but also of those who eat this poisoned food. The artist

artist.

artistic composition. [Footnote: By “Komposition” Kandinsky here

artistic end.

artistic form he presents what is impure, draws the weaker

artistic form. This I call an “Impression.”

artistic means that may be employed. Similar possibilities are

artistic means. His material machinery (gloomy mountains,

artistic power is called “art for art’s sake.”

artistic than his intentions and refuse to aim at photography

artists of the soul, says: “There is nothing on earth so curious

arts approached each other more nearly than they do today, in

arts which are outwardly different, hidden forces equally

 

aspect of the spiritual life. For instance, there is never an

association the effects of colour upon other senses than that of

association theory falls to the ground. So one is bound to admit

association with material aims. The artist has to consider not

association, is perhaps open to question. The soul being one with

association. Generally speaking, colour is a power which directly

association. Kandinsky refers to attempts to paint in colour-

 

at any rate the case at present. But besides this answer to the

at first, a matter of feeling. Any theoretical scheme will be

At such a time art ministers to lower needs, and is used for

At the apex of the top segment stands often one man, and only

At this point the individuality of the artist comes to the front

 

atmosphere which does not disturb him because he accepts it as

atmosphere, a similarity of ideals, at first closely pursued but

attempt is this book of Kandinsky’s.