FREE WRITING –  SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD – ASSOCIATIVE POEM INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF PHOTOGRAPHER KUMI OGURO – PUBLISHED IN ARTIST BOOK  “HESTER”

SNIPER OF THE FRAGILE

FORGET THAT TIME MOVES FORWARD. TIME IS MOTIONLESS. NONE OF US WILL REACH THE MIDDLE. YOU ARE A HIT AND RUN. WILL YOU BE UNHARMED, UNKNOWN, HEADLESS, DECAPITATED BY FORCE OF A FRAME? YOU BEG US TO DIFFER, THE DIFFERENCE OF YOU, WITHIN YOU. YOU REFRAIN FROM DEFINITION, FROM STRUCTURE OR PUNCTUATION. YOU CANNOT BE RESTRAINED. YOU ARE NOT THERE. YOU WAIT OUTSIDE.  OUR FRAME IS NOT YOURS. YOU HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF SUSPENSE, SURPRISE, UPRISE, ATTACK. UNEXPECTED YOU ENTER THE FIELD. YOU WAIT AT THE OUTSKIRTS, GIVE US A DOCILE HAND, FOR A MOMENT, THEN A MERCILESS CLAW. 

YOUR FAST RETRACTION LEAVES US WITH NO TIME TO REACT. THE MOMENT IS NOW AND IT IS RANDOM TO US, UNDER YOUR WILL. WE HAVE NO CLUE.  THERE’S NO NATURAL TIMING OF AN ATTACK, ONLY A SUBLIMINAL SPEED AND EXPOSURE. WHAT MAKES US THINK YOU WILL BE KIND AND GENTLE? WHAT MAKES US EXPECT YOU TO BE CONSISTENTLY DOCILE? WHAT MAKES US WAIT AND NOT DEPART? WHAT MAKES US THINK YOU ARE FOLLOWING A REGULAR PATTERN OF BEHAVIOUR? WHAT MAKES US THINK WE COULD TRUST YOU? WHAT MAKES US THINK YOU CAN BE SEEN AND ARE SEE-ABLE, EXPOSED TO US?

THE NOW IS A MOMENT SET BY YOUR ALLOWANCE, A FRACTION OF TRUST. YOU CLOSE THE SHUTTERS SO FAST THEY’LL TRAP OUR FINGERS IN THE FALL. WE CAN’T BE SHOCKED. IT IS YOU WHO TAKES THE RISK OF INTERRUPTED, SUSPENDED TIME. NO ONE ASKED US NOR INVITED US TO ENTER THE SILENCED SPACE . WHEN YOU WANDER IN THE OUTSKIRTS YOU SEE THE CRAWLING ROADS TOWARDS THE CENTRE, THE EXCITEMENT, THE PROMISE AND THE WANTING. BUT YOU ROAM INSIDE THE WAITING ROOM AND REALISE THAT EVERYTHING SHINES MORE ACCENTUATED FROM THE DISTANCE, SHARPER, AND FULFILLING. YOU WAIT ON THE BENCH AND REFRAIN FROM ENTERING THE FIELD.

THEN ABRUPTLY A GRASP, A SLICING GRIP, AN ATTEMPT TO CLAIM THE INNER FIELD AND DEFEND THE OUTER FIELDS. WHAT IS NOT NAMED IS OWNED BY EVERYONE. SO YOU PLANT YOUR MENTAL FLAG AND SAY: HERE IS ME  – HERE IS MINE – AND A CLAW MAKES THAT INSTANTLY CLEAR. WE NEED TO DISGUISE OUR STRATEGIES SAYS MACHIAVELLI AND STEAR OUR INNER FEELINGS.WE CANNOT READ YOU, YOU WON’T LET US. YOU ARE NOT IN OUR VISION BUT YOU HUNT AND AIM FROM THE PERIPHERY. YOU ARE A SNIPER OF THE FRAGILE, THE SAVAGES, THE UNWANTED INTRUDERS, BLATANTLY BRUTAL BUT  NOT AWARE.YOU AIM FOR THE EYES, YOU AIM FOR THE PUPIL, THE FOCAL CENTRE, THE INFINITE TUNNEL TOWARDS THE SOUL. THEN A MOMENT OF STILLNESS.

THE VOID IN TIME.IN SPACE.YOU ANGLE YOURSELF, INHALE, EXHALE. YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHANCE TO EXTINGUISH THE WORDS WE THINK, THE MEANING WE CARELESS DROP OVER YOU. YOU’LL ANNIHILATE IT ALL.  YOU CLEAR THE MENTAL WEEDS AND OVERGROWTH, SPROUTED FROM OUR NUMBED, INDEFINITE MIND.YOU WAIT. THE FEELING WE WEAVE AROUND YOU IS CONTAMINATED, SPOILED AND TAINTED BY OUR OWN VOYAGE AND PAST. IT IS INVISIBLE DAMAGE INFLICTED UPON YOU INSTANTLY AND FASTER THAN A GAZE.YOU WAIT AND  YOU WILL STRIKE.

THE UNLABELLED, UNNAMED TERRITORIES ARE A BREEDING GROUND FOR NEW IDENTITIES.YOU CONSTRUCT A PENDING ID THAT WILL NEVER BE INSTALLED NOR STALLED. IT WILL NEVER FULLY DEVELOP, NOR BE BUILT UP. SOLIDIFYING THE FOUNDATIONS OF A BUILDING AND LET THE REST LINGER. ONLY ERECTED IN THE MIND. LET IT BE TRANSLUCENT, TRANSPARANT, EPHEMERAL. BECAUSE THE UNACHIEVED WILL ALWAYS BE MORE MAGNIFICENT, SHINING AND BRILLIANT, IMPOSSIBLE TO APPREHEND.YOU SHOW US YOUR HAND NOT BECAUSE YOU NEED US TO SEE IT, NOT BECAUSE YOU WANT US TO THINK OF YOU. YOU ARE THE EXTENSION. 

BUT IT IS A REMINDER THAT AT ANY MOMENT, NOW OR IN 5 MINUTES,EVEN TOMORROW,OR IN A YEAR,YOU WILL ASSAULT THE IMAGE IN OUR MIND AND SCRAPE IT AWAY.DESTROY THE IMPRINT.RENDER IT BLANK.GONE,AND,FOREVER PRESENT.ECHOING IN PERPETUITY. YOU WILL COME BACK. NEVER HALTED IN TIME.