I was going through an old notebook when I came across this entry from 1971 regarding my vision of a poem of the future. I jotted it down under the title “A Dream.”

“I picture the future poet composing his poems on a small machine with numbered buttons and a graduated switch that would allow a blending effect to take place. The machine would be attached to a stimulating device of the brain’s emotional areas, a cap or helmet, perhaps, designed to be worn when the poem is being read. The poet would familiarize himself with the emotions produced by the pressing of buttons, and blending, almost as a painter learns the rudiments of his craft. Then, upon composing a poem, the poet would include the numbers of the emotional “music” to accompany the text, indicating which buttons to be pushed (or which combinations of buttons via the slide switch), in order to approximate the emotions to be felt at each point in the poem. The poet would concentrate his efforts upon the subtle interplay of emotions, not necessarily his own, and eventually compose emotional “music” for such traditional poets as Homer, Lanier, Pope, etc. etc.,–giving an added dimension even to texts not fully realized. The reader of poetry would become adept at the punching of keys in this self-stimulating device–and thereby experience the fleeting emotions and uninterpretable sensations that the true poet feels. I got this idea from a dream in which I encountered what I termed the “super poem” that, in many places, did not make literal sense but produced an aura of emotion that gave it both power and beauty.” Jesse

New from Ahadada!
eKleksographia is a new journal of digital text-work
and is now accepting spirited works
. ..stay tuned.. .

Upon our return from the wilds of the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, and the snows of Nashville, we noticed that two Wittgenstein kites and an odd contraption straight out of a Tesla wet-dream kept rising up out of the Ahadada Tower (formerly the Bromo Seltzer Tower in Baltimore, but we bought it, broke it down and rebuilt it here in Shin-Urayasu for the J-folk to visit) every time a thunder storm swept in from Mount Fuji. Dan investigated and came back bearing salutations from J. Henry Chunko and Phoebe. “Yeah, the guy says he knows you,” said Dan, on his way to his Toronto job. It was then that I recalled my last electric Ouija board session several weeks back, when the shades of Justinus Kerner, Frau Hauffe, and Mrs. Crowe spelled out the words e-K-L-E-K-S-O-G-R-A-P-H-I-A and forwarded Mr. Chunko’s e-mail address with the spirited directive to contact him. To make a short story long, I did, and Mr. Chunko and co-creator Phoebe have moved their laboratory lock stock and Jacob’s Ladder into the Ahadada Tower and have been catching–and throwing–lightningbolts ever since! They’ve hooked up their Odic powers with our Ahadadic resonators to jolt a new e-homunculus into shuddering life: e-KLEKSOGRAPHIA, coming to a computer screen near you! Shades of Dr. Pretorious!

Well, it’s been almost a week since our return from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette — can’t believe it! It’s a huge school — the university owns a total of about 1,400 acres. Its main campus consists of 137 acres; the athletic complex and Cajundome sit on 243 acres, et al! A nice campus that’s for sure!

Like Jesse, I am still thinking about that place and all that happened there — what an amazing time!

Dan Sendecki’s 33rd birthday is upon him. Many happy returns. Dan’s reading from his book Strange Currencies wowed them at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. We have some great pictures from that good weekend in the land of Zydeco and jambalaya. Jesse

This issue of Golden Handcuffs is surely at $11.95 a copy and 445 pages, one of the great poetry, new fiction, translation and criticism bargains for our time. Within these laminated orange pages you have a veritable who’s who in the world of international new lit. with names of “Makars” like: J. H. Prynne, Pablo Neruda, Kathleen Fraser, Hank Lazer, Jerome Rothenberg, Maurice Scully, Ken Edwards, Mark Weiss, and the list goes on and on. Yes, and I’m also in it too! For more information about how to obtain this great issue and even how to continue the magic by subscribing, please go to: www.goldenhandcuffsreview.com. Tell them I sent you. Jess

Great news from Diane DiPrima: Time Bomb–her ms. of 51 short poems is coming our way! Can’t wait! Jess

Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Rm. 315 in Griffin Hall on the campus of The University
of Louisiana at Lafayette. (Griffin is located on the the corner of Rex and
Lewis in Lafayette.)

For More information: skip@louisiana.edu or 337-482-5491.

Price of admission: Fresh John the Conqueror Root.

Dan Sendecki will also be on the prowl with his Mojo working!