for good behaviour

for good behaviour

lars palm

2 | f o r g o o d b e h a v i o u r

for good behaviour

lars palm

Differentia Press

Santa Maria, CA


for good behaviour

lars palm

Copyright © 2010

All Rights Reserved.

Published by Differentia Press

Book Design by Felino A. Soriano

Cover Art, “Army of Eggs”, courtesy of Petra Palm

Except for the sole purpose for use in reviews, no portion of this book may be

reproduced in any form, without the written permission from the publisher.

Differentia Press

Santa Maria, CA 93458

[email protected]

Differentia Press Poetic Collections of the │Experimental Spectrum│

differentiapress.com

mailto:[email protected]



some of these poems first appeared in PFS Post, revista encuentro virtual (first in

their original english & later in spanish translations made by the editor Roberto

Mascaró), on Amy King's blog & on my blog mischievoice


this book is for Petra


for good behaviour

lars palm



(the great somewhere-or-other novel)

fork, he said. then he explained how to use one. she left


(british colonialism & swedish public service radio)

an hour extolling the virtues of the old-school colonial white landowners in

zimbabwe. (& this is 2009?)


(lanzarote architecture)

would be easy building a house here. the basics are: white facade. no more than two

floors. doors & window frames may have other colours, although the darker spectrum

of greens seems to be the preferred one


(old danish town)

on christmas night 1263 the church tower fell & killed several people standing below.

wrath of their local god? poor construction? both? neither? sabotage before the word?

then in the 16th century the town burned. & was rebuilt largely in stone. since then?


(confused it)

faces grow out of the walls. yes. this is a third-rate horror movie disguised as a panda.

pandering to their dust. lusting for disgusting things in life. back to the wall. & the

featureless face it grows. repeating ”give my remains to broadway” so many times he

forgets to mispronunce it. then growing features to sell to some national newspaper


(wake up screaming)

for some reason known only to themselves four teenage kids have gone to a cabin

way out in the woods with the stated ambition to drink themselves stupid. one of them

sees a man in a hockey-goalkeepers mask lurking behind the trees. he goes to tell the

others & they are paralyzed with fear & do weird things for about an hour. then the

man removes the mask. the kids are relieved to see he has no face


(moonlight serenade)

when darkness falls the cicadas start their song. unused to it, the northerners are at

pains naming the phenomenon properly. how the cicadas name it is a matter best

explored by more seasoned entomologists. i can only imagine they would use very

few consonants. the entomologist may wonder at the relevance of consonants in this

context. the cicadas may marvel at the relevance of any context outside that of making

noise


(witch trial & (t)error)

trees spawning dark matter don't matter much anymore. any more moorings to cast

off? are we talking about a revolution? something about the number of them per

minute. the hour stretches into seconds. served by deadpan cops along with the

summons & the rubber bullets. shedding your mortal coil. coining another phrase for

excavating any number of cavities. caving in through the door. before. & after

climbing that tree


(removing california from the map) for Brooklyn Copeland

in the 19th century a landowner near nizjnij novgorod in western russia founded a

town he called california. he wanted to get back at the government for selling alaska

to the americans. for a hundred years or so it was a lively little town. then after the

collapse of the soviet union people started moving out en masse & in 2000 the last

inhabitants left town. california has now officially ceased to exist, but it remains

unclear what is to happen to the remaining buildings


(note on informal employment)

in arrecife, as in las palmas, as probably in santa cruz de tenerife, as possibly all over

the archipelago (& maybe elsewhere in the world) some of the homeless serve as half-

official parking guides/attendants. for which they get a couple of euro from the drivers

using the service. they divide the streets between them, usually downtown side-

streets, & work from seven or so in the morning until nine or ten at night. the only

criteria are that you be reasonably sane & sober during working hours


(walking to borås) for Jim Dine

did you tell pinocchio the quickest way would be route 40 from gothenburg (or

göteborg as the locals call it)? did you tell him it might take a couple of days? did you

tell him anything about the town? how it for decades lived almost exclusively on

producing clothes & selling them in hordes of factory outlets. & how in recent years

production has been outsourced. & how it has had some hard times figuring out what

to live on now. do you think pinocchio will be happy there? or will he walk on?


(night)

now how's about a little prose poem for ye to get the night moving? a cat on a

rucksack. a man-flute breathing shallowly in the next room. radio on low playing old

swedish hiphop. rage still burning ice cold as the night outside is, directed at nothing

in particular. the canterbury tales open to maybe page 15 beside me. a lovely lovely

book. now what is all this about? & who could be arsed with it? another question?

maybe a statement? addressing the cat? or the man? or the nothing? or the radio? or

geoff chaucer? or you?


(in & out of tune)

play, fiddler, to that orchard. never mind orchestrating riots for the media most

happily lapping up anything the cops say. sway that consensus. stray strands of hair.

chairing a meeting. sharing this year's yield with your neighbours. caring little if they

dance or not. as long as at least a few eyes sparkle. & a crack of thunder. & a snap of

your fingers. joints back in place. backspace. rats race. pacing in & out of space. to a

steady beat. the retreat. to heal your wounds & tune them strings. not attached to those

things you play & drink. say & think. links blink in the early sunlight. might

something good come of this?


(what's) for Christopher Rizzo

what comes after this. is sitting for some time. so what we will do we will not tell.

think it. some fires set in the north-east. best to use water. lots of it. this comes after

what. then some. come summer. but it already came. game set. let your head eat in

peace. then rest. the rest is not silence. but silent. the difference is. this day another

mysterious fiesta. the difference is what comes after this. it thinks. & puts on his

sunglasses to protect himself from the cool wind. wound up like a clockwork dog.

justin’s justice. not law. flawed trees tremble. & the immensely popular yorkshire

terrier barks. as usual. usually soap is used for operas. operations ceased. military

mostly. most of which caused a need for surgery. maybe standing up comes after this.

walking off laughing at the little trotting terrier. mean-spirited? just possibly. but the

streets just may be meaner. been meaning to ask for some time. what comes after this.

is


(levelling the seagull)

for Paul Siegell

by land or sea. see that slingshot from bristol. bristling with. or out. side with slow

motion. pictures taken. a back burning. turning around to sea. sorry she says

coulndn't resist that theme song sung in the background. underground some subjects

are plotting to let an american singer have an accident. with an italian inflection.

meanwhile a newly self-selected sheriff elects a mayor to replace omar shariff in all

black & white productions made since the later era of pre-commercial television.

vision blurs. visions refuse to recur. refering to a time when news started travelling a

bit faster than you could whisper them in chinese. though you've probably caught up

by now. & how

it's a kick in the head & a prison bed & you tell me it's the law

to explain the implications of such a statement to its neighbouring state. mental

hospitals may appear near. here your ear hears fear that disppears from the lizard

parked for five hours above the same door. as before the war. the picture book took

flight. at last. or least


(small treatise on the habits of balls) for Jonathan Ball

bouncing. paris was closed cold dark & rainy. more annoying than romantic. another

jumper writing notes on how to fly dogs out of the islands. entry blocked by

elephants. their drivers say nobody here even heard of mutual aid. or wolves. rolling.

the navy base is quiet. a little too quiet. let's riot. & possibly general health. or

cathcart. if he ever got himself promoted. not with a bang. but with fangs bared.

barred the door. flying over fences. fending off airplanes. he fancies himself the bane

of all things winged. & rosie rings. a ring of roses. hoses pose as toasters. causing a

small diplomatic brouhaha. all but forgotten three days later. when finally the ball is

set rolling. bouncing all over the square. where had it been made of metal instead of

leather. perish the thought. though the thought was tougher than that. just sat down on

the ball & said diddly squat. hurting when squeezed or kicked. swear by your nearly

extinct balls. calls back immediately. rosie says she rang a bell. bell calls from his

resting place saying not to disturb him. he will get back to work when he feels like it.

in the meantime do what you will with the roses. or go to paris in the spring. & spring

that trap. now clap. one hand


(winning taipei)

a helping hand brings you closer to a secret goal. a joyful reunion awaits your arrival.

a new friendship will help cast a spell of enchantment. a secret goal is in sight. hang

in there. a visit with friends will prove an enjoyable occasion. accept the next

proposition you hear. all the little things will add to a happy journey. an unexpected

gift will add to your pleasure. another's expression of appreciation will delight you. be

patient & the answer will be revealed. bouncy ball is the source of all goodness &

light. concern for a friend's happiness will enhance your own. know yourself so that

you might understand others. meet a new challenge with calm assurance. memorable

moments will make your trip delightful. new experiences & new friends will enrich

your life. stay calm, cool & collected, & all things will fall into place. strange new

experiences will add to your joy of living. that fleeting thought is worth pursuing. the

concern of others will make your trip a delight. through the eyes of love all things will

take on a new meaning. travel with a light heart & happy expectations. unexpected

offer deserves serious consideration. unseen forces are working in your favor. unusual

offer will enhance your future. welcome the chance to learn about others. what you do

with sincerity pays the greatest reward. whatever you do, make it fun. wherever you

go, there you are. within you lies the power for good - use it. you will attend a party

where strange customs prevail. you will relax in the lap of luxury. your trust in a

friend will prove well-founded


(spanish translation of bush translated)

subtitles, subtitles, subtitles, subtitles, subtitles, subtitles, subtitles, subtitles, subtitles,

















































(a king's alibi) for Amy

a machine played back the story. mother phoned father to me. enchanted the little

kettle dripped hints of home-ground coffee. a cornershop spirit. an old minstrel show.

warm featherbed & hope chest. a glimpse into the black. cigar so historical. set upon

the anteroom shelf the words keenly followed. a crew telling in-jokes to themselves.

the tailor divining milk from its coat pocket. that was the day a battery box suspended

quiet. history told as an eminent doctor above water. napkin-folded boats find purpose

at sea

make a miraculous bluebird. make wine to toast the tender empty church echoing

bats. cage the dog's bark. veer into stampbook etiquette of peace. photograph a

functional razor where unarmed people approach the hovering trees. sing songs of

memos on tender tendons. break from citizenry & become the land you've always

meant. lip-sync history along with the world. brighten the woman on the curb. report

before sundown

they live as if within a large city nestled in a valley. husband mows & wife vacuums.

they stretched each other to influence. they were like moving in. she broke every

crayon in the box. household acts boiled over the likelihood of work. your signature

loving you stings paying a piper's penalty. bulletproof people who classify ketchup as

a vegetable with or without faith. you cannot believe the wind last night. made of

water & light an iceberg floats into you. a patchwork seamstress watches her flower

garden. i eat the neighbor's mountain side. i steal lines only to ask if there was ever a

question. i have lived on the rooftop in internal weather. sun on top. i'm also taking

your small house. shocked that one day i fall asleep the crowd never acts on its own

theme. giraffes feed on leaves from my upper branches. streets report back to me. like

snakes we shed guns

another freedom learning only the lights of asylums. city-born flies bark & reach

toward the rafters. mosquitoes & night moths fill government

a capsized girl holding court. neighbors on a fence rumble. ramblings of old men

seated on stoops. they discovered color returned. he dons his work-worn cape. resists

a person who has false teeth & makes a certain hour. he was a bee in summer & in the

wake of your buzzing bridge. played a sleepy harmonica that pushed puddles to

deeper lakes. a peony eats its neighboring cow. after dinner teak wood fell for cork.

lightning drowns veined wooden frames. fat berries ripened brought back from dust

fields. peasants dance stomping tile flowering with sin & perfection. bourbon-doused

dusk. every twig snapped. vipers in the grass heard their sleekness between thin

blades. wars rained upon the fields. wine-stains or silk vest. background cow smiles

loudly. silver night spreading westward. toad on an old country road exit. creek

babbles brook-like. disappearance messing with directions on the drive back. sleepy

gravel road pours forth evening breeze


some notes

the italicized line in (levelling the seagull) is taken from the song Dirty Davey by the

Levellers

(winning taipei) is composed of the little messages that appear when you beat the

computer at taipei

(a king's alibi) is composed of phrases from Antidotes for an Alibi by Amy King


for good behaviour

Documents

f o r g o o d b e h

o u r lanzarote architecture

o u r moonlight serenade

o u r old danish town

differentia press book

courtesy of petra palm

blog mischievoice

experimental spectrum