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From “Pink Waves”

Sawako Nakayasu

it was a wave, it was infectious

an occasional moment reveals nothing but a passing light

extent to which i breathe your facts

it’s haptic; it’s your membrane; it’s material clatter

sliding between your stargazing hoax and flesh

and then somebody steals your wild you

and names it

after a sharp thought

a quiet neck is often indifferent to the mismeasured noise of the world

substrata lower than the territory concedes

sharp pointed arrows indicate the lack of an end

simulated spacial deadline

a hip, stigmata, shake

she was a threnody hit; she happened; she pitched

i did love it

geometry of pleasure

Sawako Nakayasu is the author of several poetry collections, most recently The Ants (Les Figues Press, 2014), Texture Notes (Letter Machine, 2010), and Hurry Home Honey (Burning Deck, 2009).

About Sawako Nakayasu

Themes

About this Poem

“This is an excerpt from a book-length poem, Pink Waves. I wrote it on stage in a durational performance, where it became a mode with which I might reckon with various elements of complicated grief. Each numbered section accrues and develops lines from the previous one; this one is the fifth section in the third and final part of the book. Even when extracted from its larger context, the lines still reflect the themes of the whole: attenuated touch; the finite and slippery edges of time; a reaching towards sensory pleasure, peace, unboundedness—speaking through the residue of that which is lost.”
—Sawako Nakayasu

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New border collapsing

capped and sizing it prenaming it detouring it wondering if it will do it streamed and lining it blocking the off of it shining it on it or through it going with it to the end, have it having given it having likened it having depicted it having gotten used to it using it having used it the use of it factoring in the using of it the last of it. sealed and forgotten it. followed it to the end of it at the heart of it. at the head of it the start of it the end of the start of it the end of the mid of it the end of the ending of the last closed and firm end of it to end it. and end it.

Sawako Nakayasu

2009

Improvisational Score

This performance may take place over any duration of time, from zero seconds to many many years.

A number of insects are placed in a clear container so that they are as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances. They are given oxygen and food and water, though they may not escape. The container of insects is placed on stage and a light is directed through the container and projected onto a large screen so that the audience may see the insects.

Each musician chooses an insect, and plays accordingly.

Sawako Nakayasu

2014

Battery

We get lost in the desert, lost very lost, and although we aren’t going to tell anyone that we can’t possibly be any more than two miles from civilization, the fact remains that we are lost very lost in the desert very desert, and the car very car is having a hard very hard very hard time getting started up again, and so we kick it very kick it in its ass very ass and the car is still having a hard very hard time and we are feeling lost all the more lost very lost in this desert very desert, and there is no one around us no no one very around us at all very all and there are birds very bird

Sawako Nakayasu

2014

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From “Pink Waves”

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