Profs who work for Komsomol go to Novgorod to work on robot bombs: H-bombs or N-bombs (two sorts of bloodshot horror for worlds of tomorrow). Most profs who know how to work control knobs on chronotrons shoot protons from cosmotrons to clock how long two photons glow. Orbs of phosphor throw off bolts of hot volts (googols of bosons from photoprotons of thoron). Lots of robots mold strong forms of boron for hot-rod motors (most sold to Ford, not to Volvo): zoom, zoom — vroom. Poof! Dots of color, blown off from blowtorch torchglow, scorch lots of moths (for moths oft bob from torch to torch). Most glowworms glow.
Profs who go to Knossos to look for books on Phobos or Kronos go on to jot down monophthongs (kof or rho) from two monoglot scrolls on Thoth, old god of Copts — both scrolls torn from hornbooks, now grown brown from mold. Profs who gloss works of Woolf, Gogol, Frost or Corot look for books from Knopf: Oroonoko or Nostromo — not Hopscotch (nor Tlooth). Profs who do schoolwork on Pollock look for photo-books on Orozco or Rothko (two tomfools who throw bold colors, blotch on blotch, onto tondos of drop-cloth). Log onto Hotbot dotcom to look for books on who’s who or wot’s wot (for books of bons mots show folks lots of mottos to follow). How now brown cow.
CHAPTER U
for Zhu Yu
Kultur spurns Ubu — thus Ubu pulls stunts. Ubu shuns Skulptur: Uruk urns (plus busts), Zulu jugs (plus tusks). Ubu sculpts junk für Kunst und Glück. Ubu busks. Ubu drums drums, plus Ubu strums cruths (such hubbub, such ruckus): thump, thump; thrum, thrum. Ubu puns puns. Ubu blurts untruth: much bunkum (plus bull), much humbug (plus bunk) — but trustful schmucks trust such untruthful stuff; thus Ubu (cult guru) must bluff dumbstruck numbskulls (such chumps). Ubu mulcts surplus funds (trust funds plus slush funds). Ubu usurps much usufruct. Ubu sums up lump sums. Ubu trumps dumb luck.
Duluth dump trucks lurch, pull U-turns. Such trucks dump much undug turf: clunk, clunk — thud. Scum plus crud plugs up ducts; thus Ubu must flush such sulcus ruts. Sump pumps pump: chuff, chuff. Such pumps suck up mush plus muck — dung lumps (plus clumps), turd hunks (plus chunks): grugru grubs plus fungus slugs mulch up humus pulp. Ubu unplugs flux. Ubu scrubs up curbs; thus Ubu must brush up sulfur dust plus lugnut rust: scuff, scuff. Ubu burns unburnt mundungus. Ubu lugs stuff; Ubu tugs stuff. Ubu puts up fulcrums. Ubu puts up mud huts, but mugwumps shun such glum suburb slums: tut, tut.
Dutch smut churns up blushful succubus lusts; thus buff hunks plus hung studs must fuck lustful sluts: Ruth plus Lulu. Ubu struts. Ubu snuffs up drugs. Ubu hugs Ruth; thus Ruth purrs. Ubu untucks Ruth’s muumuu; thus Ruth must untruss Ubu’s tux. Ubu fluffs Lulu’s tutu. Ubu cups Lulu’s dugs; Ubu rubs Lulu’s buns; thus Lulu must pull Ubu’s pud. Ubu sucks Ruth’s cunt; Ubu cuffs Ruth’s butt. Ubu stuffs Ruth’s bum (such fun). Ubu pumps Lulu’s plush, sunburnt tush. Ubu humps Lulu’s plump, upthrust rump. Ubu ruts. Ubu huffs; Ubu puffs. Ubu blurts: push, push. Ubu thrusts. Ubu bucks. Cum spurts. Ubu cums.
Ubu gulps up brunch: duck, hummus, nuts, fugu, bulgur, buns (crusts plus crumbs), blutwurst, brüh-wurst, spuds, curds, plums: munch, munch. Ubu sups. Ubu slurps rum punch. Ubu chugs full cups (plus mugs), full tubs (plus tuns): glug, glug. Ubu gluts up grub; thus Ubu’s plump gut hurts. Ubu grunts: ugh, ugh. Ubu burps up mucus sputum. Ubu upchucks lunch. Ubu slumps. Ubu sulks. Ubu shrugs. Ubu slurs drunk chums. Ubu snubs such drunks; thus curt churls cuss: ‘shut up, Ubu, shut up’. Gruff punks club Ubu. Butch thugs drub Ubu. Ku-klux cults kung-fu punch Ubu. Rumdum bums bust up pubs.
Gulls churr: ululu, ululu. Ducks cluck. Bulls plus bucks run thru buckbrush; thus dun burrs clutch fur tufts. Ursus cubs plus Lupus pups hunt skunks. Curs skulk (such mutts lurk: ruff, ruff). Gnus munch kudzu. Lush shrubs bud; thus church nuns pluck uncut mums. Bugs hum: buzz, buzz. Dull susurrus gusts murmur hushful, humdrum murmurs: hush, hush. Dusk suns blush. Surf lulls us. Such scuds hurl up cumulus suds (Sturm und Druck) — furls unfurclass="underline" rush, rush; curls uncurclass="underline" gush, gush. Such tumult upturns unsunk hulls; thus gulfs crush us, gulp, dunk us — burst lungs succumb.
OISEAU
AND SOMETIMES
SYZYGY PYX
GYP
GYPSY
PYGMY GYMS
JYNX SYNCH
TRY
PSYCH
TRYST PTYX
SYLPHS FLY
FLYBY
SKY
BY TSK TSK
SPY GLYPHS
LYSYL
BRR
GRR GLYCYL
NYM NYMPHS
WHY
WYRMS
HMM MY ZZZ
STY STYRYL
FRY
FYRDS
LYMPH CYST
WYRDS WYCH
LYNCH
WRY
MYTHY LYNX
MYST WYNDS
DRY
DRYLY
SHY BY SHH
CRY BY NTH
CWM
CRWTH
CRYPT STYX
MYTH HYMNS
THY
MYRRH
MY RHYTHMS
VOWELS
loveless vessels
we vow
solo love
we see
love solve loss
else we see
love sow woe
selves we woo
we lose
losses we levee
we owe
we sell
loose vows
so we love
less well
so low
so level
wolves evolve
VOILE
for Arthur Rimbaud
Anywhere near blank rage
you veer, oblivial.
Jade array, calico azure
evanescent talents.
Unaware, corrosives flow
to my shackled hand.
Key bombing an auto tour
to paint her colour.
Gulfs of amber contours
evaporate the tint.
Linseed glass or oblong
freezing dumbbells.
Upper pressing cashiers
do deliver verbals.
Dance the clear, elusive
rinse of paintings.
Icicle fibre meant divine
daymares varied.
Pity paid to see my dynamo
poised to rid us.
Cool chimes, a primal green
for studios.
Spur my clear plan astride
a stranger.
Cylinders versus diamonds
a decision.
Hollow, my grey ovule does
decide you.
W
for Georges Perec
‘To the V that stands for viewing what is all around us, eyes turned outward, toward the conscious surface of things, surrealism has relentlessly opposed W.’ — André Breton