In memoriam:

"Life cannot be destroyed for good. A secret streamlet trickles on beneath the heavy crust of inertia and pseudo-events, slowly and inconspicuously undermining it. It may be a long process, but one day it has to happen: the crust can no longer hold and starts to crack. This is the moment when something once more begins visibly to happen, something new and unique. ... History again demands to be heard."
                     Vaclav Havel, letter 8 April 1975, in Disturbing the Peace

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Look at the wonderful universe I have made--the cat's rear foot--exquisite! Every delicate bone and tendon, gleam of skylight off fine white fur, long toes, invert teardrop of the long muscular haunch--what an amazing mind I have even to conceive it! And more--the vivid multiplicity of jellyfish, alien patiences in the crocodile's metallic gaze, Out the window here, the sodden frostbit yard so naked and drear in its season. I have an eye for balance.

Various nature's hysterical thrill, the manic impossible perfection of it, and in the balance, menaces of imminent catastrophe--anxiety of armaments encroaching, persistence of the poisoner to nullify and pollute--I made that, too.

I change my mind. I take it back. And also misery and lovelessness and hard isolation.

Return me now to the Good World, Dreammaker. Shift me back, please, to the glowgolden year of my familyheart embracing and longlaughter playing baseball in the rain, in the weedy ravine, with wine and bodylove in damp poetry evenings.