Արարատ Լեռ
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«ընկերներ բաժանվում են ընդմիշտ — անզուսպ սագը մոլորված ամպերի մէջ» — Բաշօ
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Բոլոր սովորածս բառերը կարող էին տեղ տալ մի
ափի մէջ ու նրանց բոլորի իմաստն էր տուն վերադառնալ: Առավոտ
ու ես հագվում էի այս խորը արեվի երկրում
եւ խորը սարերի: Հագվում կէս չհարբած, քայլում
դէպե Փոլիթեքնիք սովորելու նոր բառեր:
Միշտ բառեր: Միշտ այդ ընդարձակ կապոյտ սարը
դիտում. կանչում իր զավակները: Այնքան աբզուրդ
որքան կէտաձկի կանչը: Բայց ավելի մեծ քան
այդ, այնքան մի մեծ ձայն որ արտասանվում էր համր
լռութեան մեջ, ոսկոռի եւ ճանկի լեզվով, այբուբենի
գաղտնի տնքալով: Կարծես ասելով «եկեք տուն, զավակներս, եկեք»
Ոչ: Ես ոչ մէկի զավակը չեմ եւ ոչ մէկը
գնում է տուն: Ոչ: Ոչ այս զավակը: Ոչ իրականում:’
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Mt. Ararat
“friends part forever — wild geese lost in cloud” — Basho
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All the words I learned could be held in one
hand and they all meant going home. Morning
and I would dress in this land of deep sun
and deep mountains. Dress half sober, walking
to the Polytechnic to learn new words.
Always words. Always that long blue mountain
watching, calling her children. As absurd
as a whale’s call. But so much bigger than
that, a call so big that it spoke in dumb
silence, tongue of bone and claw, alphabet’s
secret groan. As if to say, “come to me,
child.” As if to say,“come home, my child, come.”
No. I’m no one’s child and no one gets
to go home. No. Not this child. Not really.
memories of my ghost sista 
Wonderful poetics, as usual. The photo is an unusual one. The city looks like it was PhotoShopped into a watery world, like it’s in a fish tank or something. I was thinking it was on account of the photographer focusing on a moutain many miles away, but what do I know. Saw a domumentary called “The Dark Side of the Moon” which followed the first few astronauts from the Apollo program. All conservative, white, Baptist types who were thrown out of their tiny world views by the sublime idea of a small blue ball in a vast, dark cosmos. One was an artist in Hawaii…using his moon boots and rock pick to paint pictures of outer space…another, not thrown out of his world view, but had retreated farther into it, was a crazy-looking loon who was on Ararat picking up chips of wood he claimed he could prove were from Noah’s Ark. I found it odd…one person so open to the new, another clinging more solidly to his tangled mysticism. Guess it’s not that odd…just interesting.
Later…
Yes, it seems every 10 years or so someone climbs up Mt. Ararat and “finds” Noah’s ark, though it always turns out to be just some old wood. It’s odd how people feel the need to prove their metaphysical belief systems. Isn’t the whole point of faith that you don’t need any physical evidence to accept it? Just blind obedience? I suppose even if they did find something, religion being what it is, it would immediately get denounced as a fake anyway. Like the sign says, “obey” (heehee)
So true. Saw some guy who dug up an old dwelling near Jerusalem which had two foot-shaped impressions near the door. Swore it was John the Baptist’s home…where he washed the feet of the impure. Didn’t they ever write in fresh concrete? We’ve got a dogma to push here, J.B,, let’s find some broken pillars and some old hair…Sampson and Delilah, you know.
Later…
Sampson was a rather hairy individual (as in Sasquatch-level of hairy) and Delilah did suffer from trichophilia, “to be sexually aroused by human body hair, especially that of the armpits and nostrils” … which puts the entire myth into a radically different story than what we were taught in school. As for J the B, obviously whatever hovel the guy had found wasn’t where he lived. All the Baptists in this part of the world hang out in pole-barns (or at least that’s what West Michigan churches look like) and have terrible taste when it comes to fashion and interior design (not that has anything to do with your story, I just like pointing it out). Perhaps one of those TV shows that does home make-overs could come out with a 110 BC edition, “Judah Maccabee is hopeless when it comes to decorating his mountain hovel, but let our interior design experts on ‘Queer Eye For The Ancient Hasidic Guy’ do their magic and that bad ol’ Antiochus better watch out.”
You are an outrage to the outrageous ! It’s why I keep coming back.
Later…
and I could say the same for you, my friend. i rarely need coffee after reading your blog for my mind is suddenly abuzz with new ideas. that is the best feeling ever, realizing you’ve just learned something brand new.