Kit Robinson’s Quarantina

 

Viruses are older than poetry, older than language, older than humankind. They have the edge, having endured the preceding millennia to emerge, protean, anew, efficient, reborn.  They predate us, and may in the end outlive us, whatever we might by now have thought or said about them, which perhaps accounts for the futility we feel in trying to explain their purpose in the grand scheme. 

 

Things we cannot see (such as microscopic contagion) may seem somehow less important, or perhaps more insidious and frightening for being invisible. We go about our business; what else can we do?, except side-step precarious chance and live to see another day. Or write another poem. Pre-modern man discovered that avoidance is the first law of medicine—that separation—sequestration, removal, seclusion, confinement, segregation, insulation—actually works. Quarantine. Early practitioners—without the means to defeat certain curses, infections, attacks—understood that the only sure way to escape illness and death from contagion, was to put distance between oneself and the source or the procession of transmission. It was intuitive, and empirical, and it worked. Against an enemy of superior strength, the only response, short of capitulation, may be escape. And escape is exactly what quarantine means. 

 

Kit Robinson’s new book, Quarantina, exists provisionally within the interregnum of Covid, during a time of general fear, confusion, disruption, and inconvenience—in short, a period of negative capability, “when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason” [Keats]. Except that reason equips us with the tools to do just that, in philosophy, literature, science, or cosmology. 

 

            You take your life in your hands

            Every time you go to the store

            We think about things

            Like supply chain disruption

            While watching the market crater

            The sky is still beautiful

            Fluffy white clouds      

            In endless air

            With no events to look forward to

            We have to reinvent each day 1 

 

            Then might we learn

            The lesson the virus

            Is trying to teach us 2

 

  

Self-consciousness flows like a river, navigating through space and language. Words and phrases are thrown up on the screen of attention, in a continuous thread, floating there momentarily, only to disappear, leaving faint after-images of intention. Robinson’s poems are free-wheeling, open-ended meditative snapshots of the daily grind. What is it like to be Kit Robinson? To be inside his mind? That’s what good poetry can do—tell us intimately how a singular consciousness feels, chooses, feints, dodges, waits, acts. In these poems, each line is cross-examined by each succeeding line, a continuous dialectic--commenting, agreeing, disagreeing, expanding, dismissing, reacting. 

 

            Shit happens

            Just like in this poem

            Which is like an elixir or vaccine 3

 

A poem may be a temporary stay against chaos, or it may be a place to hide. Is aesthetic isolation a kind of quarantine? Is the garret an escape, sufficient unto itself? Did we mistake cabin fever for infernal inspiration? Or is fate like a narrative in an apocalyptic dystopia, complete with universal war, environmental catastrophe, and rampant contagion?

 

            You and I have shared

            More than time

            More than space

            We share the will to live

            In all its manifold stratagems 4

 

Are we the authors of our own unfortunate fate, responsible for all the things that hurt us, and our sweet engendering planet? Robinson’s superior intelligence and flexible zeal will see him through any scrape, but each instance leaves its mark. When humankind is long since gone, will there, against all odds, pop up an accidental conglomeration of protein molecules, rehearsing once more the birth of animate inspiration and inevitable extinction? Are there stays against this execution, delays before entropic endgame?

 

            Why is this happening now?

                        ***

            Had to happen sooner or later

                        ***

            Human agency run amok

                        ***

            How long can this go on?

            Chains of event

            Locked into cause and effect 5

 

Ultimately, the anxieties and cautions that erupt during a pandemic have their roots in our mortality, which has always been among the standard subject-matter and preoccupations of poetry. So, as uninhibited and open-ended as these poems feel, they are haunted by the very obsessions, the delights and predilections, that govern us during so-called good times.  

 

            

What did Whalen want?

            McClure made a monad of a mollusk

            Kyger questioned a quail

            Spicer listed to starboard

            Kaufman captured fractals just for fun

            Rexroth rode roughshod over America 6

            

In the literary descent of time, each writer imagines a world, where our descendants will judge what we have done, or left undone, a legacy in which our words will be found, placed, and preserved (or lost). Who will know us?   

 

            This could be the last time

            Takes on a whole new meaning

            Every day an exercise in weightlifting

The weight of the world

A world we no longer know 7

 

Robinson is such a reasonable, decent, fair-minded fellow that it’s hard not to be convinced by everything he says. And his poems reflect just such a resilient point of view. It’s that equanimity which allows him to sustain his even keel through adversity and threat. After a slow start in the 1970’s, he’s become a prolific writer with over twenty separately published collections. Though initially pegged as a card-carrying member of The Language School, he’s evolved beyond that into a space uniquely his own, with a relaxed and approachable style that accommodates all kinds of quotidian matter along with the most abstruse of post-Modern meditations—and yet it all looks so fluid, so unlabored! 

 

            There’s really nothing to it

            You get the power of speech

            By speaking

            A feedback loop that produces energy

            Even as it uses it up 8

 

These poems are reflexive interrogations—self & soul—of a writer who gets along with doubt and jeopardy, during a difficult time in the world. The progression of each poem suggests that he doesn’t know, from the first line, where he’ll end--in grudging certainty or ironic amusement. This is what allows him the freedom to live inside the poem, stretching and bending it to suit the movements of his mind and heart. These are made poems, but craft isn’t their justification. They are instead about exploration, and discovery. They perch on a fulcrum of wit/flippancy, curiosity/wisdom, surprise/conviction. It’s mature, confident work, worthy of timely attention.

 

            The main thing is to be patient

            Cognizant of the fact

            That anything can happen in a poem

            And probably will 9   

 

 

1.     From Quarantina p. 50 “Crowds Are History”.

2.     Ibid., pp. 52-3 “Distance Learning”.

3.     Ibid., p. 74 “This Poem”. 

4.     Ibid., p. 124 “Inoculate Conception”. 

5.     Ibid., p. 94 “Weather Report”. 

6.     Ibid., p. 90 “Early Times”.

7.     Ibid., p. 88 “The Last Time”.

8.     Ibid., p. 79 “Phantom Power”.   

9.   Ibid., p. 118 “In a Station”.

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          Memory

 

The past is a map 

we are flying over.

We can see the countryside,

the towns where we lived,

the houses, the roads, the

unfolding contours of 

surface.  We can see everything

with perfect perspective and 

controlled regard.

 

But we can’t land. 

Welcome to GonnaWannaLand

 

Much of the verbiage we hear emanates from the Media. Radio, television, the movies, the Press, the internet, public address. The Media in turn reflects the linguistic habits of the general population. You would think that Media outlets, such as television and radio, would be self-conscious about what they project, and that might once have been true. As standard-bearers of a level of speech (and grammar) performance, you might think Media would take some responsibility for its mandates. But you'd be wrong. Once upon a time, purveyors of news and information in America would have understood that talking down to its audience was cheap pandering, that audiences might see that as a form of condescension. But in today's media world, the news and information media have dropped all pretense of standards, and are happy to share the slack-jawed complacence of commonplace exchange, the passivity of the vulgate.

At any given time, people are likely to employ short-handles of language, which propagate like viruses in everyday talk. Here is a sampling of such phrases, words and slang, which have become habitual in the Media.

Have to say -- This is a phrase which is inserted whenever the speaker wants to signal a sense of reluctance in insisting that their sentiment is somehow necessary, or feels a mandate in expressing it, as if the speaker had no choice, or was slightly embarrassed to have to say it. It's an expedient caution or flag of presumption that I find offensive, and tiresome.      

Just sayin'--This phrase is also an apologetic shield to protect the speaker from being perceived as too declarative, or wants to be forgiven for expressing their position. Its slanginess I find objectionable, and should never be used. 

That said -- A short-hand for "having said that." I don't know when this slick little handle entered the vulgate, but it's become nearly universal in its use. People use it as a transition phrase, to lend a sense of authority or justification to what they're going to say next. They think it sounds sensible and authoritative, but it just sounds naive and pretentious.   

Feel like -- This phrase appeared a few years back, and it's become universal. People of every persuasion and degree of sophistication use it freely, most often in place of "I feel" or "I think" or "I sense." It seems to constitute a form of evasion or fake modesty, that the speaker is unwilling to take full responsibility for an assertion or reaction, and instead distance themselves from that responsibility by claiming to have a feeling that is "like" a feeling one could have, or may have, or is simply too vague or uncertain to say directly. Whenever you feel yourself about to use this phrase, ask yourself whether just saying "I think" or "I feel" wouldn't be more direct and explicit than introducing the simile "like" to the statement. Do you really not quite feel or think what you are saying? Or is this merely a bad habit you've picked up and are using for convenience? 

That's a great question -- Not just celebrities or experts, but everyone in the Media is now using this stupid phrase. The point of asking and answering questions in public is not to enable the responder to judge the efficacy or relevance of the question, but to ANSWER the question! Saying "that's a great question" tells us nothing. It may be a way of complimenting the questioner for their relevance, or of admitting that the responder can't answer it (it's too hard, or too "big" a question). The simplest solution is not to use this response at all, since it accomplishes nothing. Just answer the question, and drop the dumb rejoinder. 

Gonna' -- The use of "going to" may be marginally acceptable in accurate speech, as in a promissory or predictive sense, but it's much over-used, and in this elided slang form "gonna" it's offensively "familiar" and should be avoided. If something will happen or is likely to happen, then say that it will happen, not that it's gonna' happen!

Gonna' wanna' -- You can always tell when a speaker is a casual dunderhead when they use "gonna-wanna." Going to want to is awkward, and even if the speaker wants to sound casual, or politely condescending, it tends to undercut the message it's designed to impart. Gonna is bad enough; gonna wanna is three times worse. 

Actually -- I suppose in our computer age, "actual" may be a foil for "virtual"--as in virtual reality as opposed to reality itself. But people now have become habituated to its insertion in nearly every instance in which emphasis is intended. If you want to emphasize a fact, or a phenomenon, ask yourself if what you mean to say is "actual" or merely definite or definitive. The "actualization" of something is not its importance, or emphasis, but its being as a physical or specific fact. If you say "I'm actually going to do that" you're not adding anything whatever to the doing, except showing your inappropriate use of the word actually. In addition, many people mispronounce the word, saying "ack-sha-ly" ignoring the "t" and "u" sounds entirely. Ignorance incarnate.  

Any time soon -- This is an entirely inaccurate and useless phrase in the language. Any time, or soon may be used separately, with some accurate comprehension, but "any time soon" means essentially nothing. Any time soon might mean in an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, a decade, or a century. In fact, it may mean all of these durations, or none of them. It's a stupid phrase, and anyone who uses it should be flogged. 

It is what it is -- Cute little meaningless tautology, whose inventiveness is diverting the first time you hear it, but irritating whenever it reappears. People think it's so charming, so obvious, so clever. It isn't. It's just dumb. 

Which I said that -- This is a pronoun now commonly misunderstood. Used in a sentence to refer to a previously mentioned thing or things, it forms the subject of a subsidiary clause, of which it is the subject. Therefore, following which with "that" is ungrammatical, since which is the subject, i.e., it's redundant. Even people who have been to college seem to misunderstand this. It's breathtaking. 

Going forward -- This is another transition phrase that people use to indicate the future. It's usually unnecessary, and adds nothing to the sense of the statement. You could add "going forward" to almost any sentence about any subject, and people would probably accept it. Why not use "in future" or "in the future" or "in the coming days" instead?

Massive -- Grammarians and anthologists may argue about this word, but its clear sense is density, not size. It does not mean large, or very large. Everyone says everything is massive these days. A massive mistake, a massive earthquake, a massive stroke, a massive consequence. So stop! They're all wrong!  

Contra-VER-shle -- The word is pronounced con-tro-VER-see-al. Not the other way. Learn it. Say it right. It's as bad as nog-ger-A-shun.  That's een-aug-gure-A-shun. Thank you, Yamiche.  

Ahnt-ta-pa-NOOR -- Entrepreneur is a delightful word of French derivation, one which deserves to be pronounced correctly. EN-tra-pin-ERR. Please drop that 'OOOOOOR" at the end. Sounds dumb. Is dumb.  

Healing -- Healing has become another of those buzz-words so fond to psychologists, social activists, and religious vigilantes. Anything wrong in the world causes hurt, or injury. Therefore everyone must be "healed"--i.e., mended, bandaged, cared-for, rested, assisted, made whole again. Whenever I hear the word healing I know the conversation has gone south, into a precinct where nothing of value or intelligence can occur. Everybody must get stoned. Everybody must get healed. Heal thyself! 

In regards to -- There's simply no excuse for the bad grammar. Regards--the plural form of regard--is commonly employed as a sign-off to letters or messages, as in "kind regards" or "best regards" but it is thoroughly ungrammatical to say "in regards to" or "with regards to". The correct construction is "in regard to" employing the singular of regard (not the plural!). 

Sorta and Kinda -- These adverbial interjections are sloppy and vague to begin with, but when used by otherwise intelligent speakers, indicate an unwillingness to qualify a statement properly, attempting to seem familiar or casual in an assertion. If a thing is rather true or partially true, it's probably best not to frame it as a simple statement, and instead provide a qualifier with more grace. These are related to feel like, in that they are used to distance the speaker from responsibility for their assertion. 

You know what -- Usually employed, like "guess what" to indicate emphasis, but rarely effective. "And you know what?" is overused these days, and it adds literally nothing to the sense to which it points. It's meant to announce some degree of revelation, but it's usually unnecessary, or just plain inappropriate.  

Way-dumb -- The use of "way" in place of "very" or "pretty" is an indication of ignorance. It's become a cute slangy way of indicating a superlative, but it simply signals naiveté. Anyone over the age of 13 who uses it, should be spanked.   

That's on me -- Another instance of juvenile slang. To say that anything is "on" someone is akin to saying that someone in a game of tag is "it." It's poor slang, at best, and ignorant at worst. 

 

The Ball That Ruth Hit

 

                                                                The ball that Ruth hit

                                                                Went straight up and over

                                                                The centerfield wall

                                                                And kept going

                                                                Gathering speed

                                                                Throwing off its cover

                                                                And trailing string

                                                                It kept going

                                                                Into a time warp

                                                                And landed in the backyard

                                                                Of a kid in Ohio 

                                                                In 1928

                                                                Who found it, just 

                                                                A mass of tattered 

                                                                Thread and cork and rubber

                                                                In the grass so

                                                                The kid scavenged it

                                                                Put it in his cigar box

                                                                Of strange unidentified 

                                                                Flying objects

                                                                Alongside the indian arrowhead

                                                                The steel penny

                                                                And the other artifacts 

                                                                Of a vanished

                                                                America. 

 

    

The Variable Timepiece

What kind of a mind creates an interlocking configuration such as this?

I suppose, broken down into its subsets, it's a completely logical and straightforward arrangement of parts, coordinated into movements and settings and increments that exactly mark the progress of time. A time piece. A piece of time. A device for the measure of the passage through a dimension. 

In the digital age, humans can now create electronic circuit boards that probably make this picture primitive in comparison. It's just an integrated "circuit" made from metal (and perhaps some jewels) designed to move at precise divisions, whose duration is in turn based on the movement of other bodies, i.e., the earth, the sun and other heavenly bodies. 

Philosophers of the past might once have thought such an instrument as being almost supernatural in its qualities, just as they surely would have been astonished at the digital technology that drives our interactive techno-culture today. In our time, science and philosophy have merged increasingly together, as speculation has been overtaken by discovery and empirical proof. As theoretical physics becomes more and more abstruse and even metaphysical in its implications, what we think of as miracles seems more and more to resemble reality.     

This watch mechanism is diverting to the eye, but it's also a crude attempt at mimicking what has developed naturally in the universe. Bodies are clocks, just as astronomical bodies in motion are. Our hearts beat at a certain rate, though with constant small variations. 

Can we eventually create computers that have their own motivations and desires? Or are we mistaken in thinking that our free will is more than an illusion, and that the mechanisms through which we exist have always been determined, by the designs themselves? 

 

Announcing the publication of an Eigner broadside The Music, The Rooms.

In 1965, Larry Eigner published The Music, The Rooms. It was later issued as a folding broadside, which of course has been out of print for many years. I've always regarded it as Eigner's finest poem of some length. Though he wrote other poems of approximately this length--poems perhaps 2 pages long--this one seems particularly dense and involved--un-typically so, given the nature of his writing style. 

Back in April 2009, I wrote at some length about this poem in a blog post here at The Compass Rose, so I won't go on about it again. 

The broadside was printed letterpress by Richard Seibert in an edition of 50. It will be given away to the friends of The Compass Rose. Others wishing to purchase a copy should contact us.