Sep 17, 2022
A Chinoiserie Procession of Figures Riding on Elephants with Temples Beyond by Jean-Baptiste Pillement
An example of verdaille.
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A Chinoiserie Procession of Figures Riding on Elephants with Temples Beyond by Jean-Baptiste Pillement
An example of verdaille.
To the right, a thin stiff stalk, leafless, comes out of the bottom of the picture and rises at a slight angle to just about her armpit. It is harshly lit against the breast, brushing the nipple, and upwards to a tapering point -- a point which would press into her flesh if she lowered her arm.
S Thomas, Correspondence. Woodstock, 1993. hbk, 21
Suddenly that body appears: in my smoke while someone's heavily describing Greens, that famous monotonous line feels white against the tensile gloom of life and I seem intimate with what I merely touch.
F O'Hara, "Poem." The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara. New York, 1972. pbk, 128
Complete verdaille.
The young inventor created a device that could predict the future within one-tenth of a percent of accuracy. "Device," he said, "tell me the winner of this Saturday's football game with Tech." "State wins," the device said. "A man will pour beer onto his jeans." "Seems likely," he said, marking it. He thought of his girlfriend. "Tell me, will I marry Anne?" "No," the device said. "Anne will move to Missouri. You will find a similarly adequate mate. The colors associated with your wedding will be sea green and ivory." The young inventor had been dating Anne for ten years. He took the news with the composure of a scientist and adjusted a knob on the device. "Sea green and ivory," the device repeated. It sounded flat and bored and the scientist made a note to swap out the vocalization for something a little more upbeat, perhaps accompanied by music. "What will my eventual mate be like?" he asked, tweaking the machine's color wheel. "Skin, hair." The device buzzed lightly. "Fingernails." "Not too much specificity there." The buzzing stopped. "Grass and milk." "Will she be interested in science?" Some process caused a turning over in the internal works of the device. The inventor tapped the panel. "Will we be happy?" he asked. He could hear the whirring. "Device, will we be happy?" The device was silent. After a while, the young inventor packed his things, collected his lunch bag from the refrigerator, and left. The empty room had its own energy. "Algae and bone," said the device.
A Gray, "Device." Gutshot. New York, 2015. pbk, 105-6.