a.j. carruthers is a contemporary experimental poet and scholar. He is the author of AXIS, a lifelong long poem, the first volume of which, Book 1: Areal, was released by Vagabond in 2014. He is also the author of The Tulip Beds: A Toneme Suite (Vagabond 2013) and two forthcoming books, Opus 16 on Tehching Hsieh and Stave Sightings: Notational Experiments in North American Long Poems, 1961-2011. carruthers edits SOd press and is Essays Editor for Rabbit Poetry Journal.

 

 

AXIS 47: Cage

_________________________________________________________

 

A choral re:rhythming of John Cage’s Lecture on Nothing

retaining the four original registers.

 

For performance by 2-5 voices.

 

 

am                                   

any moment                    

 

a push                                                                                                           

                                         Give any                                                               cussion

and the                             get                                  evert you                        cide

and that is                                                                                                     

                                         go on                                                                     called

and there is                                                                                                   

,                                        ;                                      .                                      .              

composed

course,                             as I                                                                        earth

                                                                                go along

corn                                                                         glass                               empty

                                         As we

                                         an i–dea                          glass                               empty

                                                                                glass

                                         Arizona                                                                 especially

                                                                                gard it as

                                         Anything

                                         as                                    gone;

                                         an

                                              at any

?                                       ,                                      .                                      ,  

                                         calling                             anybody

                                                                                a–bout

                                         Continuity

enables                             conti–

                                                                                am calling                      

enjoy                                climax;                            and the

                                                                                acts

ecstasy                             content.

each.                                                                        airplane

                                        

Each                                 comes from                    accepts

                                         can                                  as sugar

 

                                         carry                               A piece

,                                        ,                                      ,                                      .

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                       and

                                                                                                                          in–

                                                                                contained

                                                                                                                       approximately

                                                                                can say

                                                                                                                       about this,

                                         each unit                                                                a space

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                       are

                                                                                continuity                      a

                                                                                                                       and last  

                                                                                                                       At

                                                                                                                       acceptable

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                       As you see,

,                                        ,                                      .                                      .

accept

 

allowed me

as                                     ginning

ask you:

                                                                                eminent

along                                                                       end

ac–cepted

absolute                                                                 

                                                                                                                       conference

A pupil                                                                   enjoy it

accident                            girls’                                                                       calendar  

                                                                                e-nough                          com-pare

about structure                                                                                             

America’s                                                                                                       college

                                         going

and I                                                                                                                  

and that part                                                                                                  craze

                                                                                ex-claim

are                                                                                                                  cardinal

an arts                                                                                                            critic

?                                       ,                                      .                                      .

                                                                                go

clear                                

                                         attention                         ginning                           

                                         any

certain.

course will

 

                                         about structure

 

chooses.                           a means

                                                                                                                       experiencing

compose                          And

crops                                and

                                         a                                     get

con-cerned

                                         about material

                                                                                                                       ever

Clearly                             as we

calls                                  all I

 

calls

,                                        –                                     .”                                    .)

                                         could

                                                                                                                       Grieg,

                                         child

                                         characteristic

especially                                                                                                      

 

 

ever                                  call it

explains

                                                                                autobiographically

 

exercise                                                                   answer

 

                                                                                and minor

                                                                                As

                                                                                a time

 

                                                                                and

                                                                                a-bout

                                        

                                                                                admired in

,—                                    ?                                     .                                      .

ear off                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                       always,

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                       all,

every now

                                                                                                                       and ear

                                                                                                                       abstraction

                                                                                                                       alone

                                         gressions                                                               a

everyone                                                                                                        actually

ear                                                                          

ear                                    gressions                                                               all its

ear                                                                           clean slate                       and that

                                                                                                                       and

                                         garde.”

                                                                                cadences.                        ap-peal

ear                                                                                                                  “avant-

ear                                                                           could hear

                                                                                cided                               actually

                                                                                                                       After

                                                                               

                                                                                                                       Avoiding

                                                                                called                             

                                         go                                   contemporary   ,               

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                       a-bout

:                                        ;                                      ,”                                    ,

                                        

arm                                                                                                                 Coca-Cola

against                              ghost

 

and new.

                                        

and                                                                                                                 criminated

a-long

as

attached to the

                                         ghost                             

audible                                                                    even more

are                                                                           else is

a story:

                                                                                                                      

American,

                                                                                                                       came

amazing

 

at least

are                                                                           ever found

as the

 

a man

amplified.

;                                        ,                                      .”                                    .

cussion                             a

                                         asked:                                                                    elevation.

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                getting                            enjoying

                                         answer                                                                   either

company                          answers                                                                

                                                                                                                      

cool air                             absurd

course,                                                                    goes on

                                         animal                                                                    enjoying

could

                                         asked

                                         are,

                                         answers

                                        

                                         animal

                                         answers

                                        

                                         Another

                                         agree

?                                       ,”                                    :                                      :

                                                                                are

 

                                        

                                                                                after the

                                                                                                                       getting

                                                                                and slowly

                                                                                are

                                                                                am

                                                                                are

                                                                                are

                                                                                                                       getting

                                                                                as

                                                                                a

                                         continue                         are

                                                                                and

                                                                                (and then                       

                                                                                                                       getting

                                                                                and                                

                                                                                again

 

                                                                                anybody

                                                                                are

                                                                                as                                    getting

                                                                                and

                                                                                a

,                                        ,                                      ).                                     .

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                       and

getting

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                continue                         (and

getting

                                                                               

                                                                                                                       are

getting

                                                                                                                       anybody

                                                                                continue                        

go                                                                                                                   a

 

                                                                                                                       after

goes                                                                                                                a

 

                                                                                                                       am

getting

                                                                                                                       again

,                                        ,                                      ).                                     .

are

are

after

are having                                                                                                      

                                         getting

a little                                                                                                            

and                                   getting                                                                  

                                                                               

are                                    getting                                                                   continue

as the

and                                   getting

 

a pleasure                         getting

are

and

 

(and then

again

 

anybody

at

as

,                                        ,                                      ).                                     .

                                         and more

continue

                                         am

continue

                                         are now                                                                 eleventh

                                         a

                                                                                                                      

                                         and                                 getting

                                         am

                                         as                                    getting

                                                                                                                       else.

                                         and                                 getting

                                         (and then

                                                                                getting

                                         again

 

                                         anybody                                                                eleventh

                                         at

 

                                         as

                                         as the                              goes

                                         and

 

                                         (and then

,                                        ,                                      ).                                     .

                                                                                                                      

                                         continue                         anybody

 

else.                                                                         and                                 goes

                                                                                anybody

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                are now

                                                                                                                       go

                                                                                a

                                                                                after the

                                                                                again

                                                                                                                       getting

                                                                                at

                                                                                as the                              goes

                                                                                and

                                                                                                                       getting

                                                                                are

 

                                                                                as the talk

                                                                                a                                    

                                                                                                                       go

                                                                                and

                                                                                (and then

?                                       ,                                      :                                      .”

                                                                                                                       A structure

go

                                                                                                                      

                                         eighty-eight                                                           a method;

                                                                                control                            a

                                         enough

                                         each                                                                       a

                                                                                corn

                                         everybody

                                                                                                                       a bridge

 

?                                       .                                      ,—                                  .)

Anyone

a

any piece                                                                                                       collections

are                                                                                                                  case

                                                                                                                      

A thing                                                                    even

and                                                                                                                 Chinese

And

                                                                                                                      

automatically

a long

and                                                                                                                 Capitalists

at least                                                                                                           called

 

a thing.                                                                                                           can

                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                       Communists.)

                                                                                ,                                      .

clear

                                         A

                                         and someone

                                         and

                                        

                                         a process                                                               Everybody

                                         are

                                         at all

 

                                         All I know

                                         about

 

                                         am working,

                                         am