When the tongue
touches the perfect
place linguistically
or physically:
an ecstasy,
most certainly.
—Hans Ostrom, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thank You, Rogers
Thank you, Rogers, for your fine report
on our profit-outlook. You're fired. It's
a matter of over-head. Consult the
etymology of "capital" and work
on your resume, you diligent piece
of human resources. As for the rest
of you: Fuck off. I got my bonus,
dare me to justify it, I win, you lose:
I am the point at which nihilism
and profit meet, baby. There's nothing
like the high you get from sniffing
the spore from the lip of the
titanium-lined abyss.
I go to church, there is no God,
I wave the flag, there is no nation,
I fund a family for whom I'm alien,
there is no nature, it's raw material,
and long-range planning is
what suckers do. Toodle-oo.
The game is to sell tomorrow
today. Rogers, be on your way.
Copyright Hans Ostrom 2012
on our profit-outlook. You're fired. It's
a matter of over-head. Consult the
etymology of "capital" and work
on your resume, you diligent piece
of human resources. As for the rest
of you: Fuck off. I got my bonus,
dare me to justify it, I win, you lose:
I am the point at which nihilism
and profit meet, baby. There's nothing
like the high you get from sniffing
the spore from the lip of the
titanium-lined abyss.
I go to church, there is no God,
I wave the flag, there is no nation,
I fund a family for whom I'm alien,
there is no nature, it's raw material,
and long-range planning is
what suckers do. Toodle-oo.
The game is to sell tomorrow
today. Rogers, be on your way.
Copyright Hans Ostrom 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Technopressed
He lived his life
along coordinates befixed
and bedazzled by bots, drones,
satellites, servers, monitors, screens,
programs, screeners, and sites.
His life was a program
born of programs composed
in a binary language.
Technology expressed him/
expressed him not.
--Hans Ostrom, Copyright 2012
along coordinates befixed
and bedazzled by bots, drones,
satellites, servers, monitors, screens,
programs, screeners, and sites.
His life was a program
born of programs composed
in a binary language.
Technology expressed him/
expressed him not.
--Hans Ostrom, Copyright 2012
Conversation Between A and B
A: Would you rather look at an image or read a page?
B: Read a page.
A: What's the wildest sex you ever had?
B: Define "wild" or "wildest," please.
A: (Defines.)
B: (Answers.)
A: My god, I didn't expect it to have been that wild.
B: It was a long time ago.
A: That's a non sequitur. . . . Would you rather talk on a land-line or send/receive "texts"?
B: Land-line. Or send/receive a letter.
A: You mean paper, stamps, envelopes, closing, opening?
B: I do mean that.
A: How many times have you Skyped?
B: One and one-half.
A: Okay, I think we have enough evidence to suggest that you are old.
B: It was a long time ago.
B: Read a page.
A: What's the wildest sex you ever had?
B: Define "wild" or "wildest," please.
A: (Defines.)
B: (Answers.)
A: My god, I didn't expect it to have been that wild.
B: It was a long time ago.
A: That's a non sequitur. . . . Would you rather talk on a land-line or send/receive "texts"?
B: Land-line. Or send/receive a letter.
A: You mean paper, stamps, envelopes, closing, opening?
B: I do mean that.
A: How many times have you Skyped?
B: One and one-half.
A: Okay, I think we have enough evidence to suggest that you are old.
B: It was a long time ago.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Two Travelers Meet Inside a Phrase-Book
“My name is Carmen,” she said.
“The Post Office is over there,” he replied.
“Thank you! It is one o’clock.”
“Goodbye! How are you?”
“Do you speak English?”
“The stranger is weeping.”
“My factory is on fire. No thank you.”
“Excuse me!”
“That dog is frothing at the mouth.”
“You’re welcome.”
“My passport lies under your thigh.”
“Where is the hospital?”
“The train leaves in ten minutes.”
“Please put this on.”
“Will the coup d’etat last all week?”
“Yes, the museum is my cousin.”
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Concerning Angst
I think of angst as a soft metal.
You try to worry it into something
decorative and useful--
ring, cup--and it resists by being
too malleable. Its color mixes
gray and brown.
Some company delivers a load
of angst to you. You swear
you didn't order it. It gets
dumped anyway. Your mind
writhes inside itself like a snake
inside an egg. "Oh, God," you say,
not even meaning to pray. Oh,
that is angst for you.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
You try to worry it into something
decorative and useful--
ring, cup--and it resists by being
too malleable. Its color mixes
gray and brown.
Some company delivers a load
of angst to you. You swear
you didn't order it. It gets
dumped anyway. Your mind
writhes inside itself like a snake
inside an egg. "Oh, God," you say,
not even meaning to pray. Oh,
that is angst for you.
Copyright 2012 Hans Ostrom
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
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