Home Okios Domus
“A person as a moving body describes an ever-changing sequence of domains, associating herself with some more closely than with others. Surely personing is preferable to person- in the name of accuracy and in the name of tentativeness.”
‘Architectural Body’
Madeline Gins and Arakawa
Witness
Victorian wallpapers whoosh
Room after room, and drapery.
Clapboard dwelling,
Arm chairs tufted and pearled
From rubbing sprout edges.
They want to trip her.
Ascending stairs wrap
Scarified walls grooved
Roses and clocks catch
Fingers, guides through
Hall, passageway, corner,
Around tables and chairs.
Windows become guests
You wait for them to leave
Longing to be elsewhere like
Hair or the glittered residue
Of celebration, droll, mashed
Banana without charm can't
Count the times a floor
Becomes an ocean to the babe,
A forest of texture and shadow
For the blind woman habituates
Its architecture, her fingers
Burrow its flesh.
Like the foreigner a witness
Uninvited and forgotten a
Door drumming in the wind.
S(wept)
Dried leaf fragments, pink, yellow
White Play-Doh crumbles white
Paper fragment, Candy wrapper,
Fuchsia paper scrap,
Dust and debris.
Colored pencil shavings,
Dust and debris.
Colored pencil shavings,
Lavender, orange, green,
Yellow, Blue, black,.
One dime, dog collar,
Dirt, debris
Dried leaf, popcorn.
Dog and cat hair,
Small pieces of reed.
Dust, dried leaf, straw
Piece of yellow yarn.
Reed fragments, dog hair,
Sticker, gravel, straw
Pieces, dust and debris.
Christmas ribbon, dried leaves,
Old valentine, dog hair, debris,
Christmas ribbon, dried leaves,
Matchstick, kids sticker page,
Old valentine, dog hair, debris,
Corn chip. Dried leaves, white
Tissue paper, Dust, debris.
Pinkish cloth fragment,
Leaf debris, dirt, straw
Turquoise paper with writing,
People hair, dog and cat hair,
Candy wrapper, shiny gold thing.
Blue shiny cellophane moon,
Red strip of pop caps,
Paper pieces, Animal hair,
dirt, dried leaf pieces, polyester
Fiber, Rust-colored thread,
Red strip of pop caps,
Paper pieces, Animal hair,
dirt, dried leaf pieces, polyester
Fiber, Rust-colored thread,
White petals from artificial
flower,
flower,
Empty watermelon lip-gloss
Container, orange magnetic
Number seven, dirt, animal hair,
Nylon rope section. Dryer sheet,
Dirt, straw, animal hair, debris,
Torn white paper, Trident gum
wrapper, gray foam fragment,
red paper, red and purple drawing,
Torn white paper, Trident gum
wrapper, gray foam fragment,
red paper, red and purple drawing,
Note written by A. that says:
‘This is its fire.’
A dime, dried straw,
Pink red Play-Doh,
Gravel, dirt, and debris.
Reed fragments, dog, cat,
People hair.
A piece of a paper town,
dry dog food, cloth,
fragment of handwritten
Phone message that said:
Sal Masi and Ann’s son died.
Sal Masi and Ann’s son died.
Viewing Wednesday the seventh.
Dirt, gravel, more straw,
Dog and cat hair, bright red
Orange and purple wrapping
Paper fragment, small white
toy plastic fork,
toy plastic fork,
Dog, cat, and people hair,
Dirt, debris, dust, white plastic
and aluminum seal,
and aluminum seal,
Blue plastic bag fragment
Yellow paper clip,
Plastic knife, dog and cat hair,
Red plastic thing, green plastic thing,
STYRAFOAM fragment, green toothpick,
Piece of Band-Aid, Piece of sugar
Decoration from birthday cake.
***This poem emerged as part of an 'action'. The action eventually became an Installation entitled: Houseworks: A Chronicle of the Small", in 2005 and was exhibited at the Allan Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio. The parameters of this 'action' were as follows:
**Whenever it occurred to me, after sweeping the floors in our home, I'd put the contents of my dustpan into a Ziplock bag, seal it, and toss it into a cardboard box. Sometimes, after examining the day’s residue, I’d make a notation on a scrap of paper and put it into the bag before sealing it.
©2010 nanette yannuzzi
