“How, then, can I translate into words the limitless Aleph, which my floundering
mind can scarcely encompass?” – Jorge Luis Borges in “The Aleph”
In the collection of Roberto Bolaño’s nonfiction, Between Parenthesis,
“I just want real reactions. I want people to laugh from the gut, be sad from
the gut, or get angry from the gut.”—Andy Kauffman
Reactions from the gut are scarce in
a storm-drummed dock,
tongue-swirled scotch,
the sea’s salted singe
make a clean bed
in a white room
on a bright hall
recede to the point
where lightning
and horizon
crash.
Editor’s Note: This paper was originally presented as part of Calvin College’s
Festival of Faith and Music [http://calvin.edu/go/ffm]. This biennial conference
brings together musicians, critics, journalists, artists,
“There’s not a moment of your day that you are not affected by an artist. Art is
an integral part of our lives. Art is a principle way of communicating.”
–Dean Renwick
