Robert Creeley's Glass-Eye

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Robert Creeley’s Glass-Eye Jason Blasso

C H A RY B D I S P R E S S new york

Published by Charybdis Press New York 2017 Charybdis Press Some rights reserved Printed and bound in the USA 15 14 13 12 4 3 2 1 First Edition http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Poems, layout and design by Jason Blasso Glass Eye photo https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White_glass_eye_with_blue_ iris,_cased,_London,_England,_1901_Wellcome_L0059058.jpg Robert Creeley’s Glass-Eye is set in ITC Cheltenham, CiscoSerif-Bold, Rockwell & Whitman by Ken Lew www.charybdispress.com

To the Black Mountainmen and -women: Thanks.

Robert Creeley’s Glass-Eye

I thought it would be prudent to introduce this short book to provide some context for what you’re about to read. The poems were created as I listened to recordings of eight Black Mountain Poets reading their poems.

As I listened, I selected words and/or phrases that caught my attention and jotted them down. All the recordings I listened to of the BMPs were from the PennSound website. This is an invaluable source for anyone interested in hearing poetry read instead of reading it on the page.

However, they’re selection isn’t exhaustive and many BMPs, and those related to the school, are missing.

My interest in the Black Mountain Poets resurfaced after my interest in the San Francisco School of Abstract Expressionism resurfaced. I was looking back at paintings of some of my favorite artists from that time, most notably Hassel Smith and Edward Corbett.

When I went online and tried to find more works by Corbett, who is, unfortunately, still woefully under appreciated and recognized, I stumbled across the cover he did for the final issue of Black Mountain Review. I remembered that Creeley was one of the head editors and I was reminded again of the BMPs. The title of this book’s obviously derived from Creeley’s missing eye and the glass-eye he may or may not have worn. But it also suggests his editorial and poetic eye that allowed him to bring together many diverse poets and artists into what, like the abstract expressionists above, can loosely be called a school.

If you get a moment, please seek out and read the poems of these poets, or visit PennSound’s archives—website below. And, if you have more moments to spare, take a gander at the S.F. AbEx scene, especially artists Corbett and Smith.

Thanks. http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/

Robert Creeley from Studio Recording at Black Mountain College, c. 1954

Deciduous dent During distraction Doing day doing Double-u disproves Defined dumb Daughter dishonest Do different dancers Door describes disappointment Demand disturbed damned Do does

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Creeley/BlackMountain_c-1954/Creeley-Robert_Full-Reading_Black-Mtn_c-1954.mp3

Charles Olson from The Kingfishers from Studio Recording at Black Mountain College, made by Robert Creeley c. 1954, first issued as a record

The green one at the door Smirked skwalked Later much later In this instance Many passions Tissued the message Of the nest Necessary gore Domestic silence Rest

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Olson/BMC-1954/ Olson-and-Creeley_Black-Mountain_1954_Kingfisher.mp3

Paul Blackburn from Reading (presumably in San Francisco, July 1971 — date and location are uncertain)

Um… Strange categories…

What I might call Journal…

The result of nothing Everything Seemed the only thing to do today

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Blackburn/CreeleyTape-71/Blackburn-Paul_02_Blackburn-Intro_Creeley-Tape-71_1971.mp3

Robert Duncan from Robert Duncan reading his poems, Berkeley, CA, March 22, 1952

Empires inspired Africa revisited Anticipate nowhere Bewildered disguise Jungle poetry Dumb & enduring Stirred Negroes Surrounded by skulls Watched the woman Bewitched into her own form Lord of love The Americans Stripped bare Over the water He was a light Chaos remains The genius The shadow The demon Was not Goliath Drowned magnificence Radiant with evil The doom Harvested Legion Half emerging Swells Glitters Grown invisible

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Duncan/Lee-Anderson/ Duncan-Robert_Complete-Reading_Lee-Anderson-Collection_Yale_0322-1952.mp3

Larry Eigner from Around new/sound daily/means, Selected poems, S Press Tape No. 37, recorded by Michael Kohler at Swampscott, Massachusetts, 1 and 11 July 1974

What’s more Mbleiving me Ktemporary Pwoems Mmnammanm Peed of light A powhow Clant always come back Drop by drop What you hear Beyond words Open To bear Dead or alive Time flies From far away My spirit Blow out You can see it Memory of Coming in Make sounds Up and down Curious To live Anyplace This time Contact Everybody dies

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Eigner/Eigner-Larry_SPress_Swampscott_MA_7-1-74.mp3

Hilda Morley from the poem Provence, Reading in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, March 15, 1992

Here Violet Cezanne Violent Courses say Exact Backs of hands The earth Beloved Carries a message In praise

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/KWH-Inbox/Morley/HildaMorley_Reading-Alice-Tully-Hall_03-15-1992.mp3

Ed Dorn from Reading of Gunslinger at University of New Mexico, May 6, 1969

Indented and I Misjudged you Seem raging Seem raging Seem raging A company at last The oblique horse In the aftermath Of his saddlebags “bark bark” Lay on the turntable Everytime you do some Shit like that Said the stoned horse Hi Digger You might get yourself described Anyone know this mothafucka The room froze A plain, unassorted, white citizen Mmmm considered the Gunslinger The target can disappear Semi-dios It’s dangerous to be named That’s all mortality is in fact In choir boy You’re mostly documentation The horse is a double agent I rarely use ordinary ammunition Pure information

An absolute Oh fucking infinity Let’s split now Across two states of mind Followed us out Distributing fake phone numbers Put on his dark glasses And was utterly forgot

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Dorn/Dorn-Ed_Part1_Reading-of-Gunslinger_University-of-New-Mexico_05-06-69.mp3

John Wieners from Reading at the Berkeley Poetry Conference, July 14, 1965

Rangoon Memphis Casablanca Sea of Tranquility Moscow Boston Gotham Cochlea The woods San Francisco

https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Wieners/BerkeleyPoetry-Conference-1965/Wieners-John_Part-1_Reading-at-Berkeley_ Date-Unknown.mp3