Off On Off | Poem

 

Off On Off I have not felt myself expire, have not sensed the moment, when the soul leaps upward, out of the old, awkward corpse, which is curious, for one would think it highly obvious or apparent, you know, when you move from so encumbered to wispy and energetic; but where does one hang his hat or fasten an adjective or two onto the  succinct noun?  There should be a point of passage, but instead  there was only a lack of conscious by one half my soul; then, the awakening of the other.   - Ward Kelley   to Ward    to Moongate Painting by Ken Peters to paintpoems

 
Poet's note:

Jack Spicer (1925-1965), was an American poet who published several collections during his brief life. Trained as a linguist, Spicer was active in the San Francisco poetry scene during the 50s and 60s. Perhaps today he is most renown for his theories describing poetry as dictation from a source outside the poet; theories he delivered in a short series of lectures in Vancouver where he portrayed poets as radio receivers.  He died at San Francisco General Hospital from alcohol poisoning; his last words were, "My vocabulary did this to me."

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