New Finds for October

My new addition to my small but growing collection of books:



Tales by Edgar Allan Poe

"Tales" is as the title implies a collection of Tales or short stories by Edgar Allan Poe himself.

I have always been a huge admirer of Edgar Allan Poe, although more known for his poetry "Annabel Lee" and "A Dream within a Dream" which is my favorite, I am as excited to get hold of this copy of Mr. Poe's short stories or tales. Having heard the grim and gloomy content of this literary master's works, this copy will prove to be an amazing experience for a literary glutton like myself.







"Thus Spake Zarathustra" by Friedrich Nietzsche

Is supposedly the most personal work of the philosopher. Having read his "Beyond Good and Evil" a few years back, I am familiar with his direct way of pointing out his views on certain matters.

I am currently in the first part of the book and so far I am curious about this Zarathustra character which somehow reminds me of "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran. What makes this particular book more endearing is the fact that it has this old bookshelf smell which to my own mind takes me to a coccoon like place of comfort and isolation reminiscent of public libraries with wooden shelves. Hmmmm my love for old books >.<

Tara Road by Maeve Binchy

Well from the cover itself, "Tara Road" is an Oprah Book Club choice. My friends have been referring Maeve Binchy for the longest timeso I decided to give it a shot, considering the good reviews about the book.












The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I am not sure whether this copy is the full version as I have just finished reading this book this afternoon, but this has got to be the best book I've ever read by far. I'm still reeling from the whole experience. If mood and time permits i will write a separate review about the book. I just love this book!

Teach Her

I need a teacher

Who will listen to my thoughts with patience

And challenge them in many possible perspectives

Who will never tell me to stop digging deeper

Or judge me for the absurd things I come up with

Who will never confine me in a box

Or mark me with branding irons like a cow in a barn

Who I can respect

Not out of fear or because its demanded from me

But because he inspires it from me

For respecting me as an equal

For the autonomy he heartily gives

And for allowing me the freedom to express my sheer pleasure of returning the favor.



12:36 10/23/09

Two-Row Buttoned Accordion

I have been trying to read E. Annie Proulx’s book “Accordion Crimes” for more than a month now and so far I am still stuck somewhere in between page 96. If my bookmark happened to be a seed of some sort, it might have grown roots and soon enough grow a huge trunk with lush leaves like that of the Little Prince’s wild baobabs in his asteroid 325. Out of sheer boredom which obviously the book did too little to alleviate and desperate attempts for intellectual stimulation; I tried to construct/arrange a Dada-Surrealist poem with lines ripped from the book "Accordion Crimes" borrowing E.Annie Proulx’s words.

The steps are pretty simple

To make a Dadaist poem:

• Take a newspaper.
• Take a pair of scissors.
• Choose an article as long as you are planning to make your poem.
• Cut out the article. Then cut out each of the words that make up this
article and put them in a bag.
• Shake it gently.
• Then take out the scraps one after the other in the order in which they
left the bag.
• Copy conscientiously.
• The poem will be like you.

And here you are a writer, infinitely original and endowed with a sensibility
that is charming though beyond the understanding of the vulgar.

-Tristan Tzara

Well I don’t despise the book that much to shred it but I did employ another technique. Instead of newspaper I used the book “Accordion Crimes”; using a pencil I underlined the random lines first at every 29 pages from the entire book starting from the back page progressing to front page (but I eventually got lost hahaha >.<) anyway voila my very own Dada-Surrealist poem.

To what purpose this activity may have benifited me and the human race? The Human race I don't pretend to care much besides the Human race have too much of these kinds of stuff cluttered around everywhere rendering it perhaps utterly useless but to me this sure saved me from a few hours of boredom, drudgery and mediocrity.

Two-Row Button Accordion


In the afternoon the pain began to boil and bubble,

so we got divorced

of popcorn saturated with margarine

“8 ˚ F”

For a painter was the horse

of gold death’s head with ruby eyes

who sewed their children, into their clothes

pauses for effects; sound effects.

the green door

dipped in inkwell

saw the decaying carcass of a dead hanged cat

still in the dead air

lured by the sign in the window


“FREE CHEWING GUM UNDER SEATS”


10/26/09

Image scanned from the book "Accordion Crimes"