Cutting up A.M. Klein's "The Mountain"

The mountain in the distance, at Mount Royal and Park Avenue

This is in response to Jason Camlot’s “After the Mountain; The A.M. Klein Reboot Project”. Klein’s original poem, “The Mountain”, is published below; it is followed by my cut-up of Klein’s poem, published in a chapbook of the same title, compiled and edited by Jason Camlot, and published by Synapse Press, Montreal, 2011:

For many years I have been interested in William Burroughs and Brion Gysins’ experiments in “cutting-up” texts. In this poem I have literally “re-mixed” A.M. Klein’s poem “The Mountain”. This “re-mix” is a fairly conservative cut-up of Klein’s original poem; that is, I have kept the integrity of Klein’s lines in tact but I have re-mixed the order of the lines. Klein’s text was cut-up with scissors and then randomly reassembled. The resulting “cut-up” text changes a straight linear poem—Klein’s lyrical “A Mountain”—reassembles or re-mixes the poem, and finds in the new text a similar lyrical expression as in Klein’s poem, but without the linearity of the original poem. Meaning persists, but it emerges strangely transformed by the re-mix.

Stephen Morrissey
14 November 2011



Klein’s original poem:

The Mountain

A.M. Klein

Who knows it only by the famous cross which bleeds
into the fifty miles of night its light
knows a night—scene;
and who upon a postcard knows its shape —
the buffalo straggled of the laurentian herd, —
holds in his hand a postcard.

In layers of mountains the history of mankind,
and in Mount Royal
which daily in a streetcar I surround
my youth, my childhood —
the pissabed dandelion, the coolie acorn,
green prickly husk of chestnut beneath mat of grass—
O all the amber afternoons
are still to be found.

There is a meadow, near the pebbly brook,
where buttercups, like once on the under of my chin
upon my heart still throw their rounds of yellow.

And Cartier's monument, based with nude figures
still stands where playing hookey
Lefty and I tested our gravel aim
(with occupation flinging away our guilt)
against the bronze tits of Justice.

And all my Aprils there are marked and spotted
upon the adder's tongue, darting in light,
upon the easy threes of trilliums, dark green, green, and white,
threaded with earth, and rooted
beside the bloodroots near the leaning fence—
corms and corollas of childhood,
a teacher's presents.

And chokecherry summer clowning black on my teeth!

The birchtree stripped by the golden zigzag still
stands at the mouth of the dry cave where I
one suppertime in August watched the sky
grow dark, the wood quiet, and then suddenly spill
from barrels of thunder and broken staves of lightning —
terror and holiday!

One of these days I shall go up to the second terrace
to see if it still is there—
the uncomfortable sentimental bench
where, — as we listened to the brass of the band concerts
made soft and to our mood by dark and distance—
I told the girl I loved
I loved her.


The Mountain, Re-mix One

Stephen Morrissey

O all the amber afternoons
are still to be found.
And all my Aprils there are marked and spotted
upon the adder’s tongue, darting in light,
the pissabed dandelion, the coolie acorn,
green prickly husk of chestnut beneath mat of grass —
from barrels of thunder and broken staves of lightning —
terror and holiday!
Who knows it only by the famous cross which bleeds
into fifty miles of night its light
upon the easy threes of trillium, dark, green, and white,
threaded with earth, and rooted
And Cartier’s monument, based with nude figures
still stands where playing hookey
Lefty and I tested our gravel aim
(with occupation flinging away our guilt)
holds in his hand a postcard.
In layers of mountains the history of mankind,
and in Mount Royal
There is a meadow, near the pebbly brook,
where buttercups, like once on the under of my chin
a teacher’s presents.
And chokecherry summer clowning black on my teeth!
One of these days I shall go up to the second terrace
to see if it is still there—
one suppertime in August watched the sky
grow dark, the wood quiet, and then suddenly spill
The birch tree stripped by the golden zigzag still
stands at the mouth of the dry cave where I
which daily in a streetcar I surround
my youth, my childhood—
against the bronze tits of Justice.
the uncomfortable sentimental bench
where, —as we listened to the brass of the band concerts
knows a night-scene;
and who upon a postcard knows its shape —
the buffalo straggled of the laurentian herd, —
upon my heart still throw their rounds of yellow.
made soft and to our mood by dark and distance —
I told the girl I loved
I loved her.
beside the bloodroots near the leaning fence—
corms and corollas of childhood.


The Mountain, Re-mix Two, unpublished


Stephen Morrissey

one suppertime in August watched the sky
grow dark, the wood quiet, and then suddenly spill
a night-scene;
and who upon a postcard knows its shape
stands at the mouth of a dry cave where I
beside the bloodroots near the leaning fence—
corms and corollas of childhood,
against the bronze tits of Justice.
And all my Aprils there are marked and spotted
the pissabed dandelion, the coolie acorn,
green prickly husk of chestnut beneath mat of grass—
There is a meadow, near the pebbly brook,
where buttercups, like once on the under of my chin
The birchtree striped by the golden zigzag still
(with occupation flinging away our guilt)
and in Mount Royal
which daily in a streetcar I surround
holds in his hand a postcard.
In layers of mountains the history of mankind,
into the fifty miles of night
from barrels of thunder and broken staves of lightning—
terror and holiday!
upon the adder’s tongue, darting in light,
upon the easy threes of trilliums, dark, green, and white,
One of these days I shall go to the second terrace
upon my heart still throw their rounds of yellow..
And Cartier’s monument, based with nude figures
Who knows it only by the famous cross which bleeds
threaded with earth, and rooted
to see if it still is there—
the uncomfortable sentimental bench
still stands where playing hookey
Lefty and I tested our gravel aim
my youth, my childhood—
O all the amber afternoons
are still to be found.
where,—as we listened to the brass of the band concerts
made soft and to our mood by dark and distance—
I told the girl I loved
And chokecherry summer clowning on my teeth
the buffalo straggled of the laurentian herd,—
a teacher’s presents.
I loved her.

11 November 2011

The Making of Collages (8)

The Making of Collages (7)

The Making of Collages (6)

The Making of Collages (5)

The Making of Collages (4)

The Making of Collages (3)

The Making of Collages (2)

This begins a series of collages--for the next two weeks--made in the winter and spring of 2010. Each collage became, for me, a point of meditation, an insight into the post-modern age.

Each collage is a visual cut-up. The narrative running through our minds of how the world is constructed, how it works, is ended by tearing it into pieces. The random re-organization of these pieces gives us a new narrative, a new insight into how things work.

A longer introduction to The Making of Collages can be found in the posting of last June 28th.

The Making of Collages

A collage juxtaposes images or parts of images that seem to have little association with each other; the collage presents these images in an unexpected and seemingly random way. Profound images, for instance images of human suffering and hurt, become images describing our age. Archetypal images juxtaposed beside each other give a new association, a new idea of the age. The random aspect of the collage is also interesting, this is interesting because any image placed beside any other image gives a third and new image, a new idea or insight coming from the collage. These collages are a kind of Tarot card reading, or divination, of our age, there is the sudden appearance of some insight in the collage.

Collages are similar to Brion Gysin's cut-up technique which works with words and sounds instead of images. I think you could take any issue of TIME magazine, which has excellent photo-journalism, take the images and cut or tear them up at random, and then glue them to a surface in any order that they occur, and you will have a collage that reveals something of the age in which we live. This is what I did with the collages I am putting up here. There is no "thought" in the making of any of these collages. Gradually gluing down the images becomes a system, a process, for instance beginning every collage at the bottom right hand corner, or trying to impose some kind of order or intelligence on the collage as it is being made. When this happens you have to stop and eliminate this thought interference in the making of the collage.

Then, you can also take the collage and ask what does it suggest? What ideas are there in the collage? Archetypal images contain their own energy, their own impetus in driving the unconscious mind. They are an entrance into the collective unconscious and as such they can be very powerful. My suggestion is always to begin with the archetype and then proceed from there; you can try but you can never really defeat the authority of archetypes that are innate in the human psyche.

How Poets Think and an Introduction to Dream Journeys (1)

Here is William Blake's home when he lived in Felpham, near Bognor Regis, on the coast south of
London. I often walked passed here while visiting with my friend R.R. Skinner.
This is one of the first selfies, that is my finger ruining the photo...

(1)

How do poets think? Not all poets, but how do some poets think? How do poets experience the world? According to Peter Ackroyd`s biography of William Blake, the first morning Blake was in Felpham, his home for two years on the coast south of London, “Blake came out of his cottage and found a ploughman in an neighbouring field. At this moment the ploughboy working with him called out ‘Father, the gate is open.’ For Blake, this was an emblem of his new life, and the work he was about to begin.” (234-235) Blake perceived this experience as an auspicious sign from the universe, one indicating a future of openness, creativity, and the presence of the divine intervening in his life. At that moment Blake knew that he had made the right choice in moving to Felpham; the universe told him as much. This is one example indicating how poet’s think.


(2)

How poets think, as it is sometimes shown in their work (and in their lives), can be acausal, sometimes synchronistic, sometimes symbolical and metaphorical, sometimes analytical, sometimes archetypal, and often poet’s thinking works simultaneously on at least two levels of meaning. The usual linear thinking that we all do, thinking that is grounded in cause and effect, is of secondary importance in writing a poem, or thinking poetically.


(3)

I have written elsewhere of how two dreams, when I was young, changed my life. One dream told me to remember my life, and that this could be done by writing a diary; a second dream revealed to me the insecurity of life. Both were profound and life changing dreams. I always assumed that everyone had “big dreams,” but this was a mistake. Everyone dreams but most people don’t listen to their dreams, they forget them as soon as they wake, or if the dream is remembered it is either ignored or sloughed off. They don’t want to be disturbed by dreams, or by re-visioning their life, or by becoming more conscious, or by the discomfort of psychological insight. This is how poets think: they allow for the presence of dreams as a form of communication from the unconscious, and the dream is then listened to.


(4)

God communicates to people in two ways: through angels and through our dreams. If you want to communicate with God, or receive a message from God, then be open to your dreams. Dreams coming from God are the “big dreams,” and we may have only a few of these during our whole life. Dreams have some interest for poets and artists, dreams are psychic collages juxtaposing images that one would probably never put together. They are of interest in an aesthetic sense, as a curiosity, and importantly for therapists as a door into the psyche of their client. Discussing a dream is a way into the psyche, it is a catalyst for discussion. Surrealism as a movement grew out of Freud’s positioning of dream interpretation as an important part of therapeutic work. The Surrealists were more fascinated by the dream as an aesthetic event than by its therapeutic value. Dreams, then, as life changing events, can be an important aspect of how poets think; as well, dream imagery can be transformed into a poem.


(5)

Two other minor examples of poetic thinking: when I returned to live in the neighbourhood where I grew up, I would regularly see people who I used to see in the streets when I was young. They were not older versions of themselves, they were the same people that I used to see, as though, over the intervening years, they had never changed. I no longer see these people, they seem to have departed, where they have gone to I don’t know, but I would often see them, just as they were so many years ago. A second example: I have always believed that when we think of someone we used to know, but have lost contact with them, and they suddenly come to mind, for no reason at all, at that same moment they are thinking of us. For example, sometimes we think of an old friend with whom we have lost contact and then, only a few seconds later, the phone rings and it is the person we have been thinking of.

(6)

It is the essence of the shamanic journey that what is perceived is not a product of the imagination but is “real.” The important thing is the experience in which our awareness and consciousness is not always subject to cause and effect. Dreams juxtapose images that are usually not associated with each other. In essence the dream is a collage or a "cut-up" (as invented by Brion Gysin). Dreams fascinate us when they open the door of archetypal association. A door, for instance, allows us to enter a room, but a "door" for William Blake is an image opening our awareness and our perception of the symbolical world of the psyche. Almost two hundred years later Jim Morrison resonated to Blake's perception and the music of The Doors followed.

(7)

Dreams, Tarot cards, Sabian Symvbols, the Aquarian Symbols, archetypal images, paintings by Odilon Redon (and others), photographs by Man Ray, all help open an entrance into the deeper levels of the psyche; at this deeper level we become conscious of people, events, and a narrative not always available to the conscious mind. I would include fairy tales and mythology in this list of ways to access the unconscious mnd.


(8)

Poetry, in essence, deals with the soul and soul making. Just about any subject can be transformed into poetry, but a poet’s soul is needed for this transformation of the everyday into poetry. Poetry is transformation. Dreams, in essence, transform everyday reality into an expression of the psyche or the soul, and these dreams can sometimes give us access into our own souls. This is also a beginning of a definition of how poets think.
________________________________

In the coming weeks I will include here various poems inspired by dream imagery, under the heading of Dream Journeys.

Sarah Palin on the Pier

Cutting-up Atlantis (Ten)

This has been given. 1. The position… the continent between the gulf of Mexico on Mediterranean upon the other. civilization are to be found. of Atlantis occupied is the one hand and the Evidences of this lost in the Pyrenees and surface at the period of projections.” the first, or that known as Casian and Carpathian, or and which lies now much in and much in the rolling Northern portions were then polar regions were then more of a tropical and would be hard to describe into the Atlantic Ocean. an inhabited land and very portion of this country, then all in the ocean; only the regions that are now and Arizona formed the as the United States. That formed the outer portion , Yucatan and America. portions. . . that must have a portion of this great Indies, or the Bahamas, are be seen in the present. If the made in some of these mini and in the Gulf Stream may be even yet determined.” 2. This has been given. the beginning, or in the Garden of Eden, in that the desert, yet much in lands there. The extreme the southern portions, or turned to where they occupied semi-tropical regions; hence the change. The Nile entered What is now the Sahara was fertile. What is now the centre of the Mississippi basin, was the plateau was existent, or portions of Nevada, Utah greater part of what we know along the Atlantic Seaboard Morocco, British Honduras There are some protruding at one time or another continent. The British West a portion of same would especially, or notably in through this vicinity, these 

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Cut-up of an original text on Atlantis, by Edgar Cayce

Cutting-up Atlantis (Nine)

Many lands have disappeared and disappeared again and At that time, only the Tibet, Mongolia, Asia and Europe; that of the Peru in the southwestern of (present) Utah, Arizona, hemisphere then in the Sahara and the then entering the now region rather than flowing the Tibet and Caucasian Sea; those in Mongolia in the plateau entering the souls then in the earth plane and three million existence from the present million (10,500,000) years earth plane as the lord of in five places then at reasons, the five spheres, nations.” of man’s earthly indwelling , many have appeared again during these periods land now known as the Sah and Norway appeared in southern Cordilleras and hemisphere and the plane Mexico in the northwestern ____________________________________________ 

Cut up of an original text on Atlantis, by Edgar Cayce

Cutting-up Atlantis (Eight)

In the country, you must not be surprised I ought to warn you, that you must not be names given to foreigners. I will tell you to use the tale for his poem, enquired into early Egyptians in writing them down had he recovered the meaning of the several them into our language. My great- which is still in my possession, and was Therefore if you hear names such as are used I have told how they came to be, began as follows:— Yet, before proceeding further in the surprised if you should perhaps hear the reason of this: Solon, who was intending the meaning of the names, and found that translated them into their own language, names and when copying them out again grandfather, Dropides, had the original carefully studied by me when I was a child. in this country, you not be surprised, introduced. The tale, which was great Now the country was inhabited in those artisans, and there were husbandmen, and apart by divine men. The latter dwelt by all that they had as common property; nor anything more than their necessary food. A yesterday described as those of our Egyptian priests said what is not only were in those days fixed by the Isthmus, extended as far as the heights of Cithaeron the direction of the sea, having the district Asopus as the limit on the left. The land raised remnant of Attica which now exists may by various classes of citizens;—there were there was also a warrior class original set, and all things suitable for anything of their own, but they regarded they practised all the pursuits which we guardians. Concerning the country that in the direction of the continent they and Parnes; the boundary line came down in of Oropus on the right, and with the river as the best in the world, and was therefore able from the surrounding people. Even with any region in the world for the 

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Cut-up of an original text, Critias, by Plato

Cutting-up Atlantis (Seven)

primeval men of that country of the gods, that they distributed the and made for themselves temples and for his lot the island of Atlantis, begat in a part of the island, which I will centre of the whole island, there was a plain and very fertile. Near the plain again, of about fifty stadia, there was a mountain there dwelt one of the earth-born Evenor, and he has a wife named was called Cleito. The maiden had already died; Poseidon fell in love with her and inclosed the hill in which she dwelt all larger and smaller, encircling one another; he turned as with a lathe, each having its so that no man could get to the himself, being a god, found no difficulty land, bringing up two springs of water the other of cold, and making every I have before remarked in speaking of the whole earth into portions differing in extent, instituted sacrifices. And Poseidon, receiving children by a mortal woman, and settled them describe. Looking towards the sea, but in the which is said to have been the fairest of all and also in the centre of the island at a distance mountain not very high on any side. In this primeval men of that country, whose name was Leucippe , and they had an only daughter who reached womanhood, when her father and mother had intercourse with her, and breaking the round, making alternate zones of sea and land there were two of land and three of water, which circumference equidistant every way from the island, for ships and voyages were not as yet. in making special arrangements for the centre from beneath the earth, one of warm water and 

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Cut-up of an original text, Critias, by Plato

Cutting-up Atlantis (Six)

who had no eye to see true happiness Such was the natural state of the country by true husbandmen, who made husbandry of a noble nature, and had a soil best in heaven above an excellently attempered on this wise. In the first place the Acropolis night of excessive rain washed away the earth there were earthquakes, then occurred third before the great destruction of Deucalis Acropolis extended to the Eridanus and the Lycabettus as a boundary on the opposite with soil, and level at the top, except in one under the sides of the hill there dwelt artisans the ground near; the warrior class dwelt by Hephaestus at the summit, which moreover garden of a single house. On the north side erected halls for dining in winter, and had common life, besides temples, but there was they made no use of these for any purpose; and ostentation, and built modest houses in in the lost island of Atlantis; and this he following reasons, as tradition tells: For many in them, they were obedient to the laws, seed they were; for they possessed true and with wisdom in the various chances of life, they despised everything but virtue, caring lightly of the possession of gold and other neither were they intoxicated by luxury; but they were sober, and saw clearly friendship with one another, whereas by lost and friendship with them. By such a divine nature, the qualities which we have but when the divine portion began to fade much with the mortal admixture, and the being unable to bear their fortune, behaved grew visibly debased, for they were losing who had no eye to see true happiness ___________________________________ 

Cut up of an original text, Critias, by Plato

Cutting-up Atlantis (Five)

Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded sacred registers to be eight thousand years ago, I will briefly inform you of their particulars of the whole we will hereafter themselves. If you compare these very laws the counterpart of yours as they were in the of priests, which is separated from all the several crafts by themselves and do not and of hunters, as well as that of husbandmen in Egypt are distinct from all other class themselves solely to military pursuits; looks to the unchangeable and fashions the pattern, must necessarily be made fair only, and uses a created pattern, it is not fair or called by this or by any more a question which has to be asked at the world, I say, always in existence and? Created, I reply, being visible and all sensible things are apprehended and created. Now that which is created a cause. But the father and maker of all this him, to tell him to all men would be down from above on the fields, having always which reason the traditions preserved here are The fact is, that whatever the extremity of mankind exist, sometimes in greater, sometimes either in your country or in ours, or in any other were any actions noble or great or in any other down by us of old, and are preserved in our nations are beginning to be provided with letters after the usual interval, the stream from heaven leaves only those of you who are destitute of a tendency to come up from below; for the most ancient. they are in some way related to them. To great honour; he asked the priests who were and made the discovery that neither he nor mentioning about the times of old. On one antiquity, he began to tell about the most Phoroneus, who is called the “first man,” survival of Deucalion and Pyrrha; and he reckoning up the dates, tried to compute speaking happened. Thereupon on of the Solon, Solon, you Hellenes are never any among you. Solon in return asked him mind you are all young; there is no old tradition, nor any science which is hoary been, and will be again, many destructions greatest have been brought about by the innumerable other causes. There is a story, Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded exceeds all the rest in greatness and valour. For unprovoked made an expedition against the city put an end. This power came forth out of Atlantic was navigable, and there was an island you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island and was the way to other islands, and from these opposite continent which surrounded the true of Heracles is only a harbour, having a narrow a tendency to come up from below; for the most ancient. frost or of summer does not prevent, in lesser numbers. And whatever happened region of which we are informed if there way remarkable, they have all been written. Whereas just when you and other and the other requisites of civilized life, like a pestilence, comes pouring down, and education; and so you have to begin

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Cut up of an original text, Timaeus, by Plato

Cutting-up Atlantis (Four)

the fairest and noblest race of men nothing of what happened in ancient times, either a boundless continent. Now in this island of those genealogies of yours which you just now empire which had rule over the whole island and than the tales of children. In the first place you and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had were many previous ones; in the next place you of Heracles as far as Egypt, and of Europe your land the fairest and noblest race of men into one endeavoured to subdue at a blow whole cities are descended from a small seed or region within the straits; and then, Solon, you was unknown to you, because for many her virtue and strength, among all mankind. She died, leaving no written word. For there was skill, and was the leader of the Hellenes. And when the city which now is Athens was first to stand alone, after having undergone the of all cities, is said to have performed the noblest triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from of any of which tradition tells, under the faced, and generously liberated all the rest of us who the order in which we have arranged our occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and who is the most of astronomer amongst us requested the priests to inform him exactly and special study, should speak first, beginning are welcome to hear about them, Solon, said the creation of man; next, I am to receive of your city, and above all , for the sake of the will have profited by the excellent education parent and educator of both our cities. She founded and make them citizens, as if they were those receiving the Earth and Hephaestus the seed of record recovered from oblivion, and of which constitution is recorded in our and fellow citizens. perfect and splendid feast of reason. And now disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud of the island. aged Critias heard from Solon and related to us about your city and citizens, the tale which I have and I remarked with astonishment how, by almost every particular with the narrative. For a long time had elapsed, and I had of all run over the narrative in my own mind, to your request yesterday, considering find a tale suitable to your purpose, and that on my way home yesterday I at once I remembered it; and after I left them, during As touching your citizens of nine thousand laws and of their most famous action; the exact through the leisure in the sacred registers with ours you will find that many of ours are olden time. In the first place, there is the caste; next, there are the artificers, who ply their mix; and there is the class of shepherds; and you will observe, too, that the warriors and are commanded by the law to devote the weapons which they carry are shields the steeds in his father’s chariot, because he burnt up all that was upon the earth, and this has the form of a myth, but really the heavens around the earth, and a great after long intervals; at such times those places are more liable to destruction than. And from this calamity the Nile, who is our. When, on the other hand, the gods purge in your country are herdsmen and shepherds you, live in cities are carried by the rivers nor at any other time, does the water come ____________________________________ 

Cut-up of an original text, Timaeus, by Plato

Cutting-up Atlantis (Three)

from an aged man; for Critias, at the time of age, and I was about ten. Now the day and the poems of several poets were of Solon, which at that time had not he thought or so to please Critias, said of men, but also the noblest of poets. The at hearing this and said, smiling: Yes, made poetry the business of his life, and from Egypt, and had not been compelled, found stirring in his own country when he he would have been as famous as I will tell an old-world story which I heard of telling it, was as he said, nearly ninety years was that day of the Apaturia which is called the to custom our parents gave prizes for recitation recited by us boys, and many of us sang the poem gone out of fashion. One of our tribe, either that in his judgement Solon was not only the wise old man, as I very well remember, brightened up Amynander, if Solon had only, like other poets, had completed the tale which he brought with him by reason of the factions and troubles with came home, to attend to other matters, in my Homer or Hesiod, or any poet. ____________________________________ 

Cut-up of an original text, Timaeus, by Plato.

Cutting-up Atlantis (Two)

The voyage is still touristic now, Voices, baggage, Anyone who travels sees others Every object a word There is more than a literal transcription Who knows where meaning. magic carpet of cold. (the place does not matter) prototype—in a mirror— we city people What does it mean? Travel is the life knee, a poem, a fiction distant, obscure And then you ask language, the record we make ___________________________________ 

Cut-up of an original text by Louis Dudek, Atlantis, Delta Canada, Montreal, 1967