from

The Coming Forth by Day of Osiris Jones

Inscriptions in Sundry Places

On a billboard smoke Sweet Caporals In a street-car do not speak to the motorman On a vending machine insert one cent then press the rod push push push push On a weighing machine give yourself a weigh On the schoolhouse Morton Grammar School Founded 1886 In gilt letters on a swinging black sign Dr. William F. Jones, M.D. On a tombstone memento mori On a coin e pluribus unum On the fence of a vacant lot commit no nuisance In a library silence At the entrance to a graveyard dog admitted only on leash At a zoo do not feed the animals On a cotton wharf no smoking On a crocheted bookmarker in a Bible time is short On a sailor cap U.S.S. Oregon At a railway-crossing stop look and listen At the end of a road private way dangerous passing Beside a pond no fishing In a park keep off the grass In a train spitting prohibited $100 fine On a celluloid button remember the Maine On a brick wall trespassers will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law Outside a theatre standing room only At the foot of a companionway leading to the bridge of a ship officers only In a subway the cough and sneeze both spread disease and so does spit take care of it Over the gateway to a college yard What is man that thou art mindful of him? Ditto enter to grow in wisdom On a sign hung with two lanterns beside a frozen river no skating Beside a wood no shooting Behind a building in a dark alley No sir, carry your water up the street In a public lavatory fools’ names and fools’ faces always show in public places and this I’ll add if you don’t know it that Shakespere was no backhouse poet Ditto Mable Waters 26 John Street Ditto do not deface Ditto say when you’ll meet me Ditto it was down in the Lehigh Valley — me and my saucy Sue In a museum visitors are requested not to touch the objects In a concert hall no admission after doors are closed On an office door Peter Jones In a saloon no treating allowed Laundry-mark on linen B69 In a window board and room On a ship first class passengers not allowed aft of this sign In a train ne pas se pencher au dehors On an apartment-house door all deliveries must be made at side entrance Over a door in a hospital staff only Speeches Made by Books, Stars, Things and People from The Coming Forth by Day of Osiris Jones The books Everyman I will go with thee and be thy guide, in thy most need to be by thy side. The people Hi there Jones and did you mean that? well, telling him won’t make him, will it when I saw you you were sitting at the café table, thinking The stars Look at us Shakspere And death being dead there’s no more dying then The people Hi there Jones! The stars Light-years! The books Homage to thee, o great God, lord of truth. O lord I come to thee to see thy kindness I know thee and I know thy name, and know the names of all those gods who dwell with thee. The people He must go westward to the outer darkness and die, and pick the deathless asphodels. The stars We are eyes The books Behold I have come to thee, and I bring truth sin I destroyed for thee, I have not sinned against mankind, nor yet against my kin nor wronged the place of truth, nor known the worthless. I wrought no evil, nor cheated the oppressed, nor did those things the gods abominate nor vilified the servant to his lord. The people He’s a liar. The stars Winter is coming The books Never have I caused pain, nor let man hunger made man or woman weep, nor children weep, have not committed murder, nor commanded others to do my murder, I have not stolen the offerings to departed spirits nor robbed the gods of their oblations, nor committed fornication. The people Hey bricktop hey carrots who let you out? are you wet behind the ears? his hands are covered with blood. The stars Nebular hypothesis The books Have not polluted myself in holy places diminished from the bushel, taken from nor added to the acre-measure, nor encroached on fields of others. Nor have I misread the pointers of the scales, nor added weight, I have not taken milk from mouths of children, nor caught the fish with fish of their own kind. The people The sycamores will have no food for this guy he lies in his throat lynch him The stars Square of the distance? The books I have not put out a fire when it should burn I have not driven cattle from the pastures I have not cut the dam of a canal I have not shunned the god at his appearance I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. The people Outside, outside! close the door after you, will you? who let him in anyway? hi there Jones The pendulums Pain — pang — pain — pang — pain — pang. The stars First degree! second degree! third degree! forever. The things We know better A clock Cuckoo! cuckoo! cuckoo! The beds Foul enseamèd sheets A girl Hello Peter — do you remember me? A dollar-bill He’d steal a penny from a dead man’s eye A grave Enter, to grow in wisdom A cat He kicked me The peach-tree He broke me Waste-basket Filled me with circulars and unpaid bills The hands of a clock Here we go round the mulberry bush mulberry bush mulberry bush Jackstone I am still here in the yard, under a brick Psyche He drew a moustache on me with an indelible pencil The locusts Look out for the wasps The swamp Beware the snake The books Homage to you who dwell in the hall of truth I know you and I know your names. Let me not fall under the slaughtering knives, bring not my wickedness to the notice of the god whom you all follow; speak ye the truth concerning me to god. I have not done an evil thing, but live on truth, and feed on truth, and have performed behests of men, and things that please the gods The things Pull out the plug Broad street Hot asphalt! Ricebirds in the swamp Gunshot! The organ Please give a penny to the poor blind man — poor blind man — poor blind man — Shakspere Walk you thus westward you will see the west grown colder but still west: or march you east why eastward still the sun will blanch before you, with ice upon his eyes, but still the sun. Picture-postcard angels Harp the herald tribune sings The music Angel of nothing in a world of nothings, palmetto leaf in sunlight, time and tide divinely moving, and the lighthouse bright against the golden western sunset light — O phrase of beauty, in the darkness born, spoken and stilled; swiftness against the cloud; memory of the dust and gods of dust: weak hand that touched, strong hand that held, weak hand that touched, eyes that forgetting saw, and saw recalling, and saw again forgetting; memory moving from wonder to disaster, and to wonder, the bloodstream full of twilight, and the twilight inflamed with sunsets of remembered birth; O death, in shape of change, in shape of time, in flash of leaf and murmur, delighting god whose godhead is a vapour, whose delight is icicles in summer, and arbutus under the snowdrift, and the river flowing westward among the reeds and flying birds beyond the obelisks and hieroglyphs — whisper of whence and why, question in darkness answered in silence, but such silence, angel, as answers only gods who seek for gods — rejoice, for we are come to such a world as no thought sounded. The desk I’ll meet you half way, he said. I’ll meet you half way, he said. I’ll meet you half way, he said. The people Hi there Jones. where’s your bankbook? well, he’s a good egg, at that. Vivien If I were less the face and more myself if you were less the face and more yourself if we were less the face and more ourselves and time turned backward, but our knowledge kept — The operating-table Now if you’ll roll your sleeve up I will give you — The stars Open your mouth and shut your eyes — and I will give you a great surprise. Eclipse obscuration transit A basket of okras Childhood! sunshine! The shoes Laces broken, worn out The books I have a boat to him who needed one. I have made holy offerings to the gods. Be ye my saviours, be ye my protectors, and make no accusations before God. Look, I am pure of mouth, and clean of hands, therefore it hath been said by those who saw me come in peace, come in peace, come in peace The graveyard Come to pieces! bones to you, old bonetrap The snow Poor Pete’s a-cold The books My heart of my mother — my heart of my mother — my heart of my being, — make no stand against me when testifying, — thrust me not back to darkness! The face My little son! Truth Tell me: who is he whose roof is fire, whose walls are living serpents, and whose floor a stream of water? Hypotenuse The shortest distance — ha ha — between two points The people Dirty dog — ! look at the cut of his trousers. Hi there Jones! The books In very truth this heart has now been weighed this soul born testimony concerning him this that comes from his mouth has been confirmed he has not sinned, his name stinks not before us let him go forth into the field of flowers let him go forth into the field of offerings let him go forth into the field of reeds. The people Bribery! simony! perjury! blasphemy! The stars Chaos — hurry! — is come again The face Divinest of divine and love of loves daybreak of brightest light and morning star murmur of music in the fairest flower o cloven sweetest fruit, and tenderest vine dear timelessness of time and heavenly face and dearest clover in the darkest place — A lamp-post Here he spat A document Here is his name, perjured A ditch Here he stooped The face Wonder of wonders in a world of worlds a heart that beats beneath a larger heart quick hands to beauty born in helplessness and love of loveliness with tenderest touch — The stars Great Circle! The outer darkness Airless! Waterless! Lightless! The books In god’s name, and god’s image, let him die The clock Tock.