Alberto Vitacchio


from Landlessness


ETYMOLOGY







he too dusts tomes scraps of pages
out of tenderness or abandon
certainly also him because of mortality
so
the day advancing
he opens tawny tins of sardines
breathing the sea
imprudently
his fingers marking references
surely
a

W
H
A
L
E



EXTRACTS


Come on Sub Subs!

at worst convivial out of irresolution after all also he imagines the shuffling on the quarterdeck the rubbing of the tray (he modestly whispers that yes a little drop of nebiolo) for heaven’s sake we don’t expect here or elsewhere maybe at the foot of the page the scratching of the nib confuses like certanties or extremely precise accounts of her HER SHE the Pekee-nuee-nuee in short a gesture of impatience spills a drop of oil and without long years on the sea we must understand him the dust the loneliness the gazing at the sea absolutely absent from the shelves we could surprise him with his hear against the door the one on the right to catch even only the breaking of a single wave a spray perhaps only the sound of the name simply causes dins on the shelves we have   no choice but to climb   the narrow   aluminium ladder and hang out on the void peering at a floor   covered with paper seaweeds using the   first lexical movements we can moisten  our fingers with  violet  ink  the  going  down  the  seabed  will be not possible  than  stealthily

LOOMINGS


“And God greated great whales”


callmecallmecallmecallmecallmecallme
callmecallmecallmecallmecallmecallme
callmecallmecallmecallmecallmecallme
callmecallmecallmecallmecallmecallme
callmecallmecallmecallmecallmecallme
callmecallmecallmecallmecallmecallme


( aside )

and so merely as a sailor you know a simple process of naming WHAT? I should repeat I presume with good grace maybe in profile well SOME YEARS AGO nooooo also him doesn’t deem necessary he shakes his head he eyes you know he eyes it’s better to    list or     extemporize   LET’S   GET OUT   OF THE         WAY          GENTLEMEN         WE          ARE         STARTING       WE  
ARE                                                                           STARTIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

(acted with alternate voices he says)

circumambulate

the sea

a namingagain

it     the sea     his

thousands upon thousands of mortal men lost in ocean reveries
I he take to the ship

hehim

thousand upon thousands

the sea is

his

“Whaling Voyage by one Ishmael”

“BLOODY NAMING IN A WRITING QUEST”

THE CARPET-BAG

a pair of ironed shirts be sensible a pair of shirts perhaps a brakesman pass he sneers (he likes references) on the other hand it’s really better than beeing shut up in your house waiting knocks on the door for mausoleum visits

IS IT HERE WHERE HE LIVES ... TELL ME

there are other departures
empty luggage boots
a green car

Such dreary streets!
The endless lack of fishes
so there are the shirts but crumpled
REJOICE       REJOICE       LET’S       PROCEED      TO       NEW       LISTINGS


“The Crossed Harpoons”
“The Sword-Fish”
“The Trap”
( aside )

               we go back to a naming
               VOILA’

SPOUTER
COFFIN

chilling isn’t it?

(annotations recited with several voices)

New Bedford
Nantucket (the place where the first dead American whale was stranded)

Leviathan?

there should be to examin Coffin with his sounding playfulness on the other hand it’s Peter the name of the character COME IN COME IN PLEASE also him intervenes now therefore take advantage immediately of the appearing of SPOUTER and arm yourselves with a cassette declaiming lentamente stressing                 the unrelenting movement

WATERward
waterWARD


THE SPOUTER-INN

WELL       COME IN       COME INnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

(aside the picture and the shadows)

masses of shades and shadows
masses of shades and shadows
(him)

we can tell approaches
explanations even if we could also state
that a head though restricted (burst of laughter from the audience)
it’s certainly better than nothing
on sale together with the shadows

(aside)
Peter

hehim

Landlord, for God’s sake a coffin

only the sea

lui
Who-e debel You?
Who
Who-e debel You?
Who(pianissimo)

a wary self acting A SOLUTION OF TONALITY you know
I remember the sea and he absurdly amazed staring the reflow of
codewords        BASICALLY LINE UP THE PARAGRAPHS


Who-e debel You?
Who-e debel You?
Who-e debel You?

( he )


WATERWARD

THE COUNTERPANE



( whispering two fingers bent
  to cover the eyes )



that’s love
that’s love
that’s love
that
is
his

(recitative)

he
he moved
he moved to
he moved to pick
he moved to pick up a
he moved to pick up a pillow

characters: Chief Bromden

                       Queequeg




HE smiles

I BEEN AWAY A LONG TIME   I BEEN AWAY A LONG TIME I BEEN AWAY   A LONG TIME I BEEN AWAY A    LONG TIME I BEEN AWAY A   LONG TIME I   BEEN AWAY A LONG      TIME     I     BEEN     AWAY      A      LONG      TIME      I

Portraits by Alberto Vitacchio

 
 
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