"The Skeleton May Perform"

After finishing up The Baseball Poem I'm dealing with another (different and successive) thing: Basketball. In particular, with Basketball's Kevin Garnett. For a number of reasons that I hope to define and explore within the writing itself.

Both recent subjects of writing have included the word 'ball'. Actually: placement of the ball, by men, to certain places, amongst other men attempting to (re)acquire and/or stop the progress of the ball. The newest writing a continuation, extension of the old.

Media usurped Classic. For the contemporary, the surging popularity of Jersey Shore, Dancing With The Stars, The OC, Twitter manifestos, Justin Bieber seems to have displaced relevance (for Duncan, Pound, Olson) of an Odysseus-type as idol-celebrity-hero. Odysseus is not, cannot be an agreed upon, or shared, facet of collective knowledge. There is no exchange centered around Odysseus now.

Here's the opening of, for the time being, "T h e

S k e l e t o n M a y P e r f o r m":

Since I am the chronicler, to wait

down the

statue's foam

where last I remember

a gold wood

a green earth enter it

so,

Ruthless head,

the skull is not a

delicate thing

Rims

enchant,

wingspan

and lightness

Last avian beauty,

he taking even hilltops.

I know the movements of a

them

small fists, pearls

of slut

opposition,

and your

rookies

sift

Old bedouin,

they're sifters

(Tell Bill I pursue the stolen

thing, the curve of the fit in

snares, a past hinged, the tree

its old branches that go out to

new leaves.)