Meddles into Preclusion: a poem from Che Elias's book

A book I've been enjoying lately is Meddles into Preclusion by Che Elias.

Che writes a sort of Steinian confessionalism...his work featly combines linguistic meditation with a sort of Beat delight in everyday life. There is often an equalization/valorization of everything in the visual field. This may yield improved perception, this subtraction of visual bias.

Having said that, I want to share a poem from the collection which deviates from the above general tendencies....just to be perverse.


    Elaine, When Cloistered Feet Consider Life


Where I saw the house
The meadow and a field
I walked up the lane at twilight and I'd stood there
For the time being

The house just rests calmly and I saw people in it take their bread
from the table
Break it into small crumbs and then place It in their mouths

And I wonder whom I thought
That was anyhow
And more like I am
Going for a sentry

A pass being block'd
And tritely neither real
Where I saw the house
The meadow   And   A  field
And walk'd further than I'd laid


I like the way this love poem questions the love poem itself...this reminds me of the sense of space and light in the staging instructions for a short Maeterlinck play, but I can't for the life of me remember the name...it had to do with the senses of interiority/exteriority in relationships...like this poem...is it still voyeurism if you "belong" there?

Che runs an interesting blog (www.goalbeyond.blogspot.com). I just read a feature there on the "Mad Gasser" of Virginia, who may or may not have existed. After having just watched a movie on the Zodiac killer, it was like "deja vu all over again." He has great entries on the bizarre and unusual right next to very well-written literary biographies of authors you've probably never heard of, who lived and died on other continents. His eye is on the readworthy.

Meddles can be purchased from Six Gallery Press at www.sixgallerypress.come-mail or by emailing the editors at editors@sixgallerypress.com