Tirades and Conniptions

Poem: A spell to keep meaning at bay.

—Dictionarium Hiberno-Britannicum

Hid in its chambered hideout, hearing shouts,

The new-evolving consciousness awaits.

The interstate’s a long and winding road

Through fast-becoming's adamantine gates.

The belly’s gift's a focus and a threat.

Participation’s taking on big debt.

Lust is the fuel, the goad is doubts,

The racket's raucous, and the prospect grates.

To be is to participate, says sage

Lévy-Bruhl.* I suggest you skip that stage.

Tirades and conniptions are the common fates.

Skulking in the dark, at fetal school,

You'll find you can refinance as a rule.

Escaping now's as fast as missing dates!

*Être, c’est participer.—Lucien Lévy-Bruhl (1857–1939)

Barrydale (retrospective), Western Cape, South Africa, April 2026