Media File 1 of 3 - Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059].mp4
AV File 1
Annotations
00:00 - 00:00
English [Transcript]
https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/file_transcripts/associated_files/000/092/357/original/UA0017-DVCAM-0059_edited.vtt.vtt?1774451303
00:00 - 00:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
00:25 - 00:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: : This is for all the brothers.
00:28 - 00:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: : Yeah, for the brothers.
00:32 - 00:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: : A pound is how we describe and embrace that disguises emotion.
00:37 - 00:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: In the clapping clasp of long time no see hands.
00:41 - 00:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: In the signifying swift stack and knuckle knock of cold hearted one handed gavel amen pounds.
00:47 - 00:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Laying down the law watching heavy bottom sisters sashay on the fingertips of our dreams.
00:53 - 00:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: That pounds heavier than a handshake,
00:56 - 00:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: cause free hands wrap around the shoulder
00:58 - 01:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: as if reaching to make easy some heavy yoke.
01:01 - 01:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: A burden shared between brothers.
01:04 - 01:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Free hands reach across the backs
01:06 - 01:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: as if to shield where sight's protection fails.
01:09 - 01:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Pounds.
01:10 - 01:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: This mystery is our secret,
01:12 - 01:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: hidden in the shadows of colliginous hands,
01:15 - 01:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: passing coded language between palms.
01:18 - 01:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: : Alright!
01:20 - 01:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Unknown speaker: : Liz made her vow not to let truth bleed down cheeks. Sometimes I wonder do crooked little girls grow into gnarled women,
01:28 - 01:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: knobby limbs curled defensively around frail bodies, frail egos? Sometimes I wonder do crooked litte girls grow into gnarled women,
01:36 - 01:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: if their leaves shriveled up crackled brown branches at the mention of uproot? Or if their bark grows thicker until no one can cut them down.
01:43 - 01:48
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Sometimes I wonder if crooked little girls grow into gnarled women? I kept two free, held crumpled
01:48 - 01:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: secrets stay tucked in memory uncle touching wrong skin. I kept two free
01:53 - 01:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: daddy would have murdered had he learned years before sometimes I wonder to
01:57 - 02:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: crooked little girls grow into gnarled women condom wrappers scratch hard
02:00 - 02:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: against sides of these bed sheets crying into pillowcases confused because this can't be love
02:04 - 02:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: thought weekend visits meant something thought hugging hello kissing goodbye
02:08 - 02:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: meant something it's not true but always me never knowing when the timing's right
02:11 - 02:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: to ask for a straight answer thought he was about me but never was caught the
02:15 - 02:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: truth at the laugh of my face.
02:16 - 02:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Sometimes I wonder, do crooked little girls
02:18 - 02:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: grow into gnarled women?
02:20 - 02:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I'm such a patient person, but he doesn't see my weight.
02:22 - 02:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Passed me up for a different proposition,
02:24 - 02:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: forgot to inform me of the breaking news.
02:26 - 02:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I am praised for inner strength,
02:27 - 02:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: but no one sees my inside the crack
02:29 - 02:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: of burnt eyes to avoid scrutiny.
02:31 - 02:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My heart doesn't beat the same.
02:32 - 02:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: How many more mornings will I spend
02:33 - 02:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: the first 20 minutes of?
02:34 - 02:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Knees, hunched chest, and shower, water mixing with tears.
02:37 - 02:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Sometimes I wonder, do crooked little girls
02:39 - 02:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: grow into gnarled women?
02:41 - 02:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Try to rebuild my walls back up with broken bricks.
02:43 - 02:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: He's not as fly as he should be.
02:44 - 02:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I didn't need my ego stroked, I needed a real response.
02:47 - 02:49
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: He didn't know I cried after he left an empty promise
02:49 - 02:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: etched into my belly, watching him sleep peacefully.
02:51 - 02:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I could have shouted, but it would have fallen on deaf ears.
02:53 - 02:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: How many times do I have to be learned this lesson?
02:55 - 02:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I attract people who think commitment is a farce, such
02:57 - 03:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: is life, but I wish I could just be incarnated sometimes.
03:00 - 03:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Afraid to give benefit of a doubt. Inflation
03:02 - 03:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: makes the shit too expensive.
03:03 - 03:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Sometimes I wonder if crooked little girls
03:05 - 03:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: grow into gnarled women.
03:06 - 03:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Knit bones back together, but they never heal the same.
03:09 - 03:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: : All right, Molly!
03:11 - 03:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: Molly!
03:12 - 03:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause and cheering]
03:18 - 03:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Unknown speaker: : Weapons of mass destruction.
03:20 - 03:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: The question is, can anybody find any weapons of mass destruction?
03:26 - 03:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Or the ultimate question, can anybody even define the term weapons of mass destruction?
03:33 - 03:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Any difference in Saddam's 15 Scud missiles hidden in the palace under Republican guard protection
03:40 - 03:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: or the 15 million NRA assault rifles protected by the lobbies and Republican House connections?
03:46 - 03:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Any difference in Iraqi chemical bombs and the crack cocaine dropped from crop-dusting
03:50 - 03:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: planes better known as that notorious Reagan-North CIA connection?
03:55 - 04:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: And oh God, what about the aftermath of devastation left by that Supreme Court jerry-rigged presidential
04:00 - 04:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: election?
04:01 - 04:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I'm already hearing screams out of dark days and cold nights, and it's looking like the
04:06 - 04:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: fallout of a nuclear winter.
04:08 - 04:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: So who's got the highest body count?
04:10 - 04:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Who's got the most refugees fleeing these god awful war torn American cities?
04:16 - 04:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Believe it or not, it ain't the Afghans or even the Iraqis.
04:20 - 04:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Believe it or not, it is we.
04:22 - 04:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: And I just want to wake up somebody to see, I just want to ask you, is you is or is you
04:27 - 04:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: ain't going to give refuge to some of these people who can't protect themselves against
04:31 - 04:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: these weapons of mass destruction, the economic, political and spiritual warfare killing the
04:36 - 04:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: the wallets, minds, and souls of men everywhere.
04:39 - 04:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: But maybe you got yours and you just don't care
04:41 - 04:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: about who's fighting the war and getting killed over there.
04:44 - 04:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Or maybe you've just been so busy
04:46 - 04:48
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: that you're not even aware of the dead bodies
04:48 - 04:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: rotting in the streets over here.
04:50 - 04:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Now, I'm not talking about bullets, bombs,
04:52 - 04:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: missiles, or munitions.
04:53 - 04:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I'm talking about WMD, the weapons of mass destruction.
04:56 - 04:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I'm not talking about empty solutions,
04:58 - 05:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: reparations, or revolutions,
05:00 - 05:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: but a holy war on the scale of the wreck of Revelation.
05:02 - 05:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: And it's time you all woke up to see the apocalypse now.
05:06 - 05:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Witness the Jews slaying that red Hebabena, Nusa cow.
05:09 - 05:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: And oh God, the moment you see that beast with six wings,
05:12 - 05:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: the moment you hear those golden trumpets and Gabriel sings,
05:16 - 05:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: baby, you ain't gonna remember a thing
05:17 - 05:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: except the name of God and maybe your mama.
05:20 - 05:21
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Not Clinton, not Bush, not Saddam,
05:21 - 05:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: and even though it rhymes, and it was the name of Osama.
05:23 - 05:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Now they all said they was on a search for the truth.
05:26 - 05:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: True cowards that face death, so they sent all our youth.
05:29 - 05:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: But now it's time for you to listen, get some lessons,
05:31 - 05:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: get a look at your future and defense for these weapons.
05:33 - 05:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: But don't think I think I'm better than you
05:35 - 05:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I got protection and don't think I think I'm better than you because I got connections
05:38 - 05:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: But girl you better take a real look at your reflection
05:41 - 05:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: And boy you better take a wise look at your reflection
05:44 - 05:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: And because the moment that all hell breaks loose and the devil breaks free
05:47 - 05:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I'm gonna be the last one standing cause no weapon no weapon
05:53 - 05:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: No weapon shall form against me
05:55 - 06:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
06:05 - 06:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Unknown speaker: : My tongue is not an enemy, my tongue is not a gun,
06:09 - 06:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: but there is blood between teeth sewn together in quietude.
06:12 - 06:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: There is the dust of a once fertile land.
06:15 - 06:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue is scarred with an exile I cannot name.
06:19 - 06:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Creole is the cage in which my gums rest.
06:22 - 06:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Creole, my mountain of stone, I climb,
06:24 - 06:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I hide between boulders, I smash my breasts
06:27 - 06:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: against the rounded taspacity of silence.
06:30 - 06:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I am lost, I am falling, a putrid wind carries me.
06:33 - 06:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: A stench called English clings to my nose.
06:35 - 06:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: A sickness called America has poisoned me with no dream.
06:39 - 06:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I am wide awake between blankets of shame
06:41 - 06:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: and pillows made with dollars.
06:43 - 06:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: Ma prunetti creole.
06:45 - 06:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: A little bit of myself, a teeny bitter clove
06:47 - 06:48
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: in a soup of bones.
06:48 - 06:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue is a refugee of two dictators.
06:51 - 06:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue is a prisoner of war.
06:53 - 06:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue disappeared and tortured.
06:55 - 06:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue fled because we had to.
06:57 - 07:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue, a double diaspora branded on each side.
07:01 - 07:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I am a daughter of mysterious arias.
07:04 - 07:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I am wire-hooked, dull, and desperate.
07:06 - 07:07
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My gamay is a fish.
07:07 - 07:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I try to catch her lip.
07:09 - 07:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My gamay spits secrets of ancestors.
07:11 - 07:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I try to jail the yellow of her phlegm for future medicines.
07:14 - 07:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I try to catch her voice, my blood rushing, boiling still.
07:18 - 07:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: I hunger for the sweet oil of Creole,
07:20 - 07:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: frying in the black pot of my throat,
07:22 - 07:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: but I cannot feast on a homeless tongue.
07:25 - 07:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue is not an enemy.
07:26 - 07:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: My tongue is not a gun,
07:28 - 07:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: but this tongue is a machete of rust in my mouth
07:31 - 07:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Uknown speaker: and I am choking on a memory I cannot taste.
07:34 - 07:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: : Alright.
07:35 - 07:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: Alright.
07:36 - 07:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Unknown speaker: : Thanks, y'all.
07:38 - 07:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Tony Medina: : What was your name?
07:39 - 07:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Unknown speaker: : Deborah Lima.
07:40 - 07:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Tony Medina: :I want to see that poem.
07:41 - 07:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Tony Medina: Lamont Steptoe.
07:42 - 07:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: : Woo.
07:46 - 07:49
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: : I've been running with the poems called Spookism,
07:49 - 07:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: and it's dedicated to Amiri Baraka and Ishmael Reed,
07:52 - 07:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: Spooks Par Excellence.
07:55 - 07:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: I've been running with spirits and spooks all my life.
07:58 - 08:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: why you think I'm still here.
08:00 - 08:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: I'm the hipster woodoo voodoo warrior of vibes and images.
08:03 - 08:07
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: I dream liberation and oppressors go mad.
08:07 - 08:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: You might see me anywhere playing the blues
08:09 - 08:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: under a streetlight on the boulevard of oblivion.
08:12 - 08:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: I got wings on my heels.
08:14 - 08:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: I'm the junkyard dog of the cosmos,
08:16 - 08:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: the bag man of paradise.
08:17 - 08:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: I carry time like dice
08:19 - 08:21
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: and nothing smaller than a whirlwind.
08:21 - 08:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: I've been running with spirits and spooks all my life.
08:24 - 08:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: My eyes glow green dreams.
08:26 - 08:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: Words are wands and I'm a goddamn magician.
08:30 - 08:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: Look me up in the encyclopedia.
08:33 - 08:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Lamont Steptoe: Spookism.
08:33 - 08:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Audience: : Woo! Woo! Woo!
08:36 - 08:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: : Our readings.
08:37 - 08:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Is this a good sound level?
08:39 - 08:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Yeah.
08:40 - 08:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Yeah?
08:41 - 08:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Okay, good.
08:43 - 08:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Welcome everybody.
08:44 - 08:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: It's wonderful to be here with you all
08:46 - 08:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: as we approach the end of this beautiful conference
08:50 - 08:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: and beautiful weekend.
08:52 - 08:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Today we're gonna hear from Cornelius Eady,
08:55 - 09:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Marilyn Nelson, Kwame Dawes, myself, and Toi Derricotte.
09:02 - 09:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: I'm going to dispense with lengthy introductions,
09:06 - 09:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: but just say a few words about Cave Canem.
09:10 - 09:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: It is a workshop and a community and force
09:15 - 09:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: that I think symbolizes where we are in African-American poetry
09:19 - 09:21
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: at this moment.
09:21 - 09:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Diverse, brilliant, raucous, full, overflowing,
09:28 - 09:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: and fundamentally, very, very, very, very healthy.
09:32 - 09:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: And I think the existence of a Cave Canem community
09:35 - 09:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: as it grows, as it evolves, at this moment
09:38 - 09:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: in the history of our poetry, simply points to the fact
09:42 - 09:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: that we've come a long way and that the future
09:45 - 09:48
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: is still for us to imagine and create.
09:48 - 09:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: It's a very exciting moment and we all know that.
09:51 - 09:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
09:56 - 10:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: So, I had wanted to be all Kalamu-like and fabulous and do one of those kind of off the
10:04 - 10:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: runway, soul train intros, but we decided to do something that reflects perhaps the
10:10 - 10:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: fact that we've all been running on empty for a few days talking about poetry, but that
10:15 - 10:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: also why we're here is for these poems.
10:19 - 10:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: And we're going to read in the following order, Cornelius, Marilyn, Kwame, myself, and Toi.
10:25 - 10:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: You have extensive biographies in the program, but I wanted to say just a few things
10:29 - 10:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: about what to look out for next from each of us.
10:34 - 10:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: From Cornelius, we have his new and selected poems to look forward to.
10:38 - 10:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
10:45 - 10:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: From Marilyn Nelson, two books forthcoming, Fortune's Bones and her book on Emmett Till,
10:52 - 10:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: which is remarkable.
10:54 - 10:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
10:58 - 11:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: And she urges you to check out www.soulmountainretreat.com.
11:06 - 11:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Marilyn has set up a beautiful home in Connecticut that is going to be her home and also a retreat center for Black poets.
11:17 - 11:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
11:23 - 11:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: So, please, and I'm so impressed, there's a website so you can go look for it.
11:28 - 11:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Kwame Dawes has in his hands the beautiful children's book, I Saw Your Face, with illustrations by Tom Feelings.
11:37 - 11:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: So very, very beautiful. And in 2005, we'll see his collection Wisteria.
11:44 - 11:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: And of course, if you don't already know, he is one of the geniuses behind the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica.
11:54 - 11:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: This will take place again in May. I suggest we reconvene there.
11:58 - 12:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: It's an amazing, amazing life force of a gathering in a life force of a place.
12:06 - 12:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: And so that, of course, takes up a great deal of his creative energy and we are grateful for that.
12:12 - 12:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: Toi, her next book is The Undertaker's Daughter.
12:17 - 12:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: And my next book will be out in fall of 2000 and it's called American Sublime.
12:23 - 12:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: So everyone's getting their work done.
12:26 - 12:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
12:30 - 12:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: So my friends, once again, our order is Cornelius, Marilyn, Kwame, me, Toi, I'm going to sit
12:38 - 12:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: down.
12:39 - 12:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: If we have a little time afterwards, which we might, I think that since everyone is full
12:43 - 12:49
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: to the brim, it might be nice to take some time to have a conversation amongst ourselves
12:49 - 12:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: or to go and get coffee.
12:51 - 12:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: But if we have time, that's something we can do.
12:54 - 12:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Elizabeth Alexander: And so enjoy the poems.
12:56 - 13:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
13:08 - 13:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: : Thank you, Elizabeth, and thank you all for being here.
13:11 - 13:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: This is a wonderful moment to be sort of involved with.
13:21 - 13:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: It's great to see that so many things like Furious Flower and Cave Canem sort
13:28 - 13:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: of like come together at sort of like the same time where
13:30 - 13:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: suddenly we have a real sort of location
13:35 - 13:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: for African-American poetry again.
13:36 - 13:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Even though I was thinking at lunch today,
13:39 - 13:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: is Tom Ellis around?
13:41 - 13:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Is he, happen to be in the audience?
13:43 - 13:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I saw him at lunch.
13:44 - 13:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I don't know if he's here in the audience.
13:46 - 13:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He's not, okay.
13:47 - 13:49
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Well, it's time I talked about him, okay?
13:49 - 13:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[laughter]
13:51 - 13:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Because I really wanted to sort of acknowledge the fact
13:53 - 13:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: that before Cave Canem there was something called
13:56 - 13:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: of Dark Room Collective.
13:58 - 14:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And I think that without Dark Room Collective,
14:00 - 14:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: you probably wouldn't have a Cave Canem in a lot of ways.
14:03 - 14:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Or when you're looking at a lot of Cave Canem poets,
14:05 - 14:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: you're also looking at a Dark Room Collective.
14:06 - 14:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I think it's an idea that sort of started to spread from that,
14:11 - 14:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: or at least make the atmosphere for Cave Canem
14:14 - 14:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: easier to be because of Dark Room Collective.
14:17 - 14:21
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I also want to use the moment, my 15 minutes.
14:21 - 14:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Thank god, Tyehimba isn't here.
14:23 - 14:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: You know?
14:24 - 14:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[laughter]
14:26 - 14:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Are you here, Jess?
14:27 - 14:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Are you here in the audience?
14:28 - 14:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: No, he isn't here.
14:29 - 14:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Okay, great.
14:30 - 14:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: So I can say whatever I want.
14:31 - 14:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: No, no.
14:32 - 14:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I'm going to use a little bit of my time to actually, there was a lot of acknowledgments
14:36 - 14:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: done at lunch, and what I wanted to acknowledge, Sarah was acknowledged, but I really wanted
14:41 - 14:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: to really acknowledge my wife, Sarah Micklem.
14:43 - 14:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
14:51 - 14:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: It's because when you start these kind of organizations that are sort of like hand them out,
14:56 - 14:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: it's how Cave Canem's been for a long time.
14:58 - 15:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: There's a lot of great discussions about, why don't we have a space for African American poets?
15:03 - 15:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I mean, that conversation's been going on for a very, very long time.
15:06 - 15:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: As a matter of fact, Herman Beavers and I, we were at B. Smith's once.
15:10 - 15:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I remember this when we were both teaching at Sarah Lawrence College.
15:12 - 15:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We were both talking about it.
15:14 - 15:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Yeah, there'll be someplace for it.
15:15 - 15:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I was sitting around having drinks.
15:16 - 15:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: So the conversation always goes.
15:19 - 15:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: But usually what happens when we get the conversation,
15:22 - 15:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: the conversation usually ends when
15:23 - 15:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: it comes to the question of who's going to pay for it?
15:25 - 15:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: You know?
15:28 - 15:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And we were having that great conversation.
15:30 - 15:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Toi and Sarah and I were on vacation in Italy.
15:35 - 15:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We're sitting around on that balcony
15:37 - 15:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: talking about this great idea that Toi was thinking about.
15:40 - 15:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And of course, it becomes a matter of how you're going to pay for it.
15:43 - 15:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And Sarah was the person who, at least the way I remember this,
15:46 - 15:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Sarah was the person who basically just said,
15:50 - 15:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: well, why don't we just pay for it?
15:53 - 15:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And that really broke the, that was the moment,
15:55 - 15:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: that was a very important gesture at a very important moment.
15:58 - 16:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Well, we should go for it.
16:00 - 16:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: So you really do have to thank Sarah.
16:02 - 16:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Thank you.
16:03 - 16:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Ya'll talk to her afterwards.
16:05 - 16:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: [applause]
16:09 - 16:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And it's always great to be back with Cave Canem folks.
16:11 - 16:13
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I mean, I'm just so damn proud of you guys.
16:13 - 16:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: You know, I'm just so damn proud of being in the same room with you guys
16:18 - 16:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: and the incredible energy that comes out of it and the poetry that's come out of it,
16:22 - 16:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: which is just, again, I think starting to, you know, make its point, you know,
16:28 - 16:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: without having to really beat you over the head,
16:33 - 16:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: it's like it's kind of damn obvious, you know.
16:35 - 16:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: So it's a good idea.
16:40 - 16:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I'm glad it was a good idea, and I'm glad it has started to,
16:46 - 16:49
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: so much good has come out of this,
16:49 - 16:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: this was a really small idea.
16:56 - 16:59
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I'm going to read from Brutal Imagination.
16:59 - 17:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And for people who don't know the book,
17:05 - 17:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: it is about the imaginary Black character that Susan Smith
17:09 - 17:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: invents to take the blame for the murder of her children.
17:17 - 17:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And the premise is that he's alive.
17:20 - 17:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: It took 9 days for the authorities to break the story.
17:26 - 17:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And if he was alive for those nine days,
17:27 - 17:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: if he was looking for him for those nine days,
17:29 - 17:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: he's alive, and what was it like,
17:31 - 17:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: what would his consciousness or existence be like
17:33 - 17:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: if he could speak?
17:35 - 17:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: So, the speaker is this guy.
17:39 - 17:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: How I Got Born.
17:44 - 17:48
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Though it's common belief that Susan Smith will me alive
17:48 - 17:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: at the moment her babies sank into the lake,
17:51 - 17:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: When called, I come.
17:53 - 17:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My job is to get things done.
17:56 - 17:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am piecemeal.
17:57 - 18:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I make my living by taking things.
18:00 - 18:07
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: So now a mother needs me clothed in hand-me-downs and a knit cap.
18:07 - 18:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Whatever.
18:08 - 18:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We arrive, bereaved on stranger's step.
18:14 - 18:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Baby, they weep.
18:17 - 18:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Poor child.
18:20 - 18:21
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My heart.
18:21 - 18:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Susan Smith has invented me because nobody else in town
18:23 - 18:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: will do what she needs me to do.
18:25 - 18:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I mean: jump in an idling car and drive off with two
18:28 - 18:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: sad and frightened kids in the back.
18:30 - 18:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Like a poisoned lover, like a bad lover,
18:34 - 18:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: she has given me a poisoned heart.
18:36 - 18:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: It pounds
18:37 - 18:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: both our ribs, black, angry, nothing but business.
18:42 - 18:49
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Since her fear is my blood and her need part mythical,
18:49 - 18:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Everything she says about me is true.
18:54 - 18:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Who am I?
18:55 - 18:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Who are you, mister?
18:57 - 18:59
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: One of the boys asks from the eternal backseat.
18:59 - 19:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And here is the one good thing:
19:01 - 19:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: If I am alive, then so, briefly, are they.
19:04 - 19:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Two boys returned, three and one, quiet, scared,
19:10 - 19:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: bunched together breathing like small beasts.
19:15 - 19:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: They can't place me,
19:18 - 19:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: But there's something familiar. Though my skin and sex
19:22 - 19:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: are different,
19:25 - 19:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Maybe it's the way I drive.
19:28 - 19:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Occasionally glance back with concern.
19:30 - 19:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Maybe it's a mixed blessing.
19:32 - 19:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Someone, perhaps circumstance, has given us
19:38 - 19:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: a secret thrill of hiding.
19:41 - 19:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Childish in plain sight, seen, but not seen,
19:46 - 19:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: as if suddenly given the power to move through walls,
19:50 - 19:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: to know every secret without permission.
19:56 - 20:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We roll sleepless through the dark streets,
20:04 - 20:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: But inside, a cab is lit with brutal imagination.
20:11 - 20:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
20:19 - 20:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Where am I?
20:22 - 20:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Looking for Michael and Alex means
20:23 - 20:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: that the bushes have not whispered
20:25 - 20:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: that the trees hold only shade,
20:27 - 20:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: that the lake still insists on being a lake.
20:30 - 20:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I flicker from TV to TV.
20:32 - 20:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My flier sits on their grandmother's easy chair.
20:35 - 20:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I hover over so many lawns, so many cups of coffee.
20:39 - 20:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I pour from lip to lip.
20:41 - 20:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: The town blossoms in yellow ribbons,
20:44 - 20:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: sprinkled like bread crumbs or bait.
20:47 - 20:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I crackle from cell phones and shortwave.
20:50 - 20:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am listened for in alleys.
20:53 - 20:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Looking for Michael and Alex means each car is scanned
20:57 - 21:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: at the drive-thru windows, the sightings are hoped for
21:01 - 21:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: at the self-serve pumps.
21:04 - 21:07
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Clerks long for the crook of my arm,
21:07 - 21:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: reaching for diapers and snacks.
21:10 - 21:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: So many days I have loped from ear to ear,
21:12 - 21:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: from beauty parlor to church.
21:15 - 21:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: They count the days till someone comes back.
21:19 - 21:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We've never left.
21:27 - 21:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Composite.
21:28 - 21:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am not the hero of this piece.
21:32 - 21:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am only a stray thought, a solution.
21:34 - 21:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: But now my face is stuck to lampposts,
21:37 - 21:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: glued to plate glass.
21:38 - 21:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My forehead gets stapled to my hat.
21:40 - 21:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am here and here I am not.
21:42 - 21:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am a door that opens, and out walks.
21:44 - 21:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: No-one-can-help-you.
21:47 - 21:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Now I gaze, straight to your eyes.
21:53 - 21:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: From bulletin boards, tree trunks.
21:57 - 22:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am papered everywhere, a blizzard called
22:02 - 22:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: You see what happens?
22:05 - 22:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I turn up when least expected.
22:08 - 22:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: If you decide to buy some milk, if you decide to wash your car,
22:14 - 22:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: if you decide to mail a letter, I might
22:19 - 22:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: tumbleweed from a pant leg.
22:23 - 22:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: You can stare, and stare, but I can't be found.
22:28 - 22:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Susan has loosed me on the neighbors,
22:31 - 22:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: a cold representative, the scariest face you could think of.
22:39 - 22:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
22:45 - 22:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Then there's a section where there's some other fictional Black characters that come in and comment on the story.
22:52 - 22:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I'm only going to read one of these. This is Uncle Tom in Heaven.
22:56 - 22:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[laughter]
22:56 - 23:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My name is mud; let's get that out of the way first. I am not a child. I was made to believe that God kept notes, ran a tab
23:06 - 23:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: on the blows, so many on one cheek, so many on the other.
23:10 - 23:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I watch another black man pour from a white woman's head.
23:12 - 23:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I fear he'll live the way I did,
23:14 - 23:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: A brute, a flimsy ghost of an idea.
23:18 - 23:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Both of us groomed to go only so far.
23:22 - 23:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: That was my duty.
23:23 - 23:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I'm well aware of what I've become;
23:26 - 23:30
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: A name children use to separate themselves on a playground.
23:30 - 23:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Doesn't matter to know someone else's lie,
23:33 - 23:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Anything human can slip, and that's enough
23:35 - 23:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: to make grown men worry about their accent,
23:37 - 23:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: where their ambition might stray.
23:39 - 23:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Doesn't help anything to tell you I was built to be a hammer.
23:44 - 23:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: A war cry.
23:46 - 23:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Like him, nobody knew me.
23:50 - 23:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: But in my prime, I filled the streets, worried into the eardrum,
23:57 - 24:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: scared up thoughts of laws and guns.
24:02 - 24:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: How I would love not to be dubious, but I am a question
24:08 - 24:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Whole races spend their time trying to answer.
24:12 - 24:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My author believed in God, and being denied the power to hate her,
24:18 - 24:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I watch another black man roam the land,
24:22 - 24:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: dull in his invented hide.
24:27 - 24:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
24:33 - 24:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Now we're back to the guy.
24:35 - 24:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Next of Kin.
24:36 - 24:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: The black man in town they thought looked like me without the dreamed-up cap and wardrobe.
24:40 - 24:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: The police have him now.
24:41 - 24:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He sits in a small room.
24:43 - 24:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: They turn him this way and that.
24:45 - 24:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He'll cool there for hours.
24:46 - 24:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: How do you think he feels?
24:47 - 24:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I whispered, we're innocent into his ear.
24:57 - 24:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He looks so much like me.
24:58 - 25:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We could be brothers.
25:00 - 25:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Already, folks may have their doubts.
25:03 - 25:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He's poor enough.
25:05 - 25:07
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Where has he been?
25:07 - 25:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Man's got his needs.
25:10 - 25:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: What do they know?
25:11 - 25:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Neighbors call him quiet, a new knot of stress on the tongue.
25:16 - 25:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: It's been a hard week to be black in Union, South Carolina,
25:20 - 25:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: a black woman tells a reporter. The whites aren't civil.
25:24 - 25:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: They look at you and then reach over and lock their doors.
25:29 - 25:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Now he is there.
25:32 - 25:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Susan has lent me his cheekbones, his gait.
25:36 - 25:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: For a while, he is as close as they'll ever get.
25:41 - 25:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And two more.
25:46 - 25:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
25:51 - 25:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Sympathy.
25:52 - 25:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: The sheriff's too good to be true.
25:54 - 25:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He tries to urge Susan and me to part.
25:56 - 25:59
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He trusts a friendly cup of coffee
25:59 - 26:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Will skim me loose, but we're hard to untangle.
26:01 - 26:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: It won't be easy;
26:03 - 26:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We know his help is poison.
26:05 - 26:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He is courting us.
26:09 - 26:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We run a cold sweat while he waits.
26:15 - 26:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He is too good to be true.
26:20 - 26:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am not for his ears, Susan knows.
26:23 - 26:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: She tries not to weep;
26:25 - 26:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: He attempts to lean towards us,
26:27 - 26:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: We bob together in the god-awful silence.
26:33 - 26:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: This is the last one, Birthing.
26:35 - 26:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: First thing you're going to hear is lines I lifted
26:37 - 26:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: from Susan Smith's handwritten confession
26:39 - 26:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And the response is the imaginary guy. Birthing.
26:46 - 26:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: When I left my home on Tuesday, October 25th,
26:50 - 26:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I was very emotionally distraught.
26:54 - 26:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I have yet to breathe.
26:57 - 27:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am in the back of her mind, not even a notion.
27:01 - 27:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: A scrap of cloth, the way a man lopes down a street.
27:06 - 27:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Later, a black woman will say: we knew exactly
27:11 - 27:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: who she was describing.
27:14 - 27:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: At this point, I have no language, no mouth, no tongue.
27:17 - 27:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am not me, yet. I am just an understanding.
27:24 - 27:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: As I rode and rode and rode, I felt even more anxiety.
27:28 - 27:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Susan parks on a bridge, and stares over the rail.
27:32 - 27:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: At her feet,
27:33 - 27:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: A dark, blanket of river she wants to pull over herself,
27:37 - 27:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Children and all.
27:40 - 27:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am not the call of the current.
27:44 - 27:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: She is heartbroken.
27:45 - 27:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: She gazes down, and imagines heaven.
27:50 - 27:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I felt I couldn't be a good mom anymore,
27:55 - 27:59
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: But I didn't want my children to grow up without a mom.
27:59 - 28:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am not me, yet.
28:02 - 28:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: At the bridge, one of Susan's kids
28:04 - 28:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: cries so she drives to the lake, to the boat dock.
28:09 - 28:13
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I am not yet opportunity.
28:13 - 28:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I had never felt so lonely and so sad.
28:16 - 28:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Who shall be a witness?
28:20 - 28:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Bullfrogs,
28:22 - 28:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Waterfowl.
28:25 - 28:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: When I was at John D. Long Lake, I had never
28:28 - 28:31
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: felt so scared and unsure.
28:31 - 28:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I've yet to be called.
28:34 - 28:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Who will notice?
28:38 - 28:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Moths,
28:40 - 28:41
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Dragonflies,
28:44 - 28:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Field mice.
28:48 - 28:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I wanted to end my life so bad
28:50 - 28:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: and I was in my car ready to go down that ramp into the water.
28:55 - 29:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My hand isn't her hand
29:02 - 29:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Panicked on the emergency brake.
29:08 - 29:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: And I did go part way, but I stopped.
29:14 - 29:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I'm not Gravity,
29:17 - 29:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: The water lapping against the gravel.
29:23 - 29:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I went again and stopped.
29:33 - 29:37
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I then got out of the car.
29:37 - 29:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Susan stares at the sinking.
29:40 - 29:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: My muscles aren't her muscles, burned from pushing.
29:44 - 29:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: The lake has no appetite, but it takes the car slowly,
29:50 - 29:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Swallow by swallow, like a snake.
29:56 - 29:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Why was I feeling this way?
29:58 - 30:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Why was everything so bad in my life?
30:03 - 30:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Susan stares at the taillights as they slide from here to hidden.
30:13 - 30:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: I have no answers to these questions.
30:17 - 30:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: She only has me, after she removes our hands from our ears.
30:28 - 30:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Cornelius Eady: Thank you.
30:29 - 30:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
30:55 - 31:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: : I'm very pleased to be here today, and not only for Furious Flower, but also for Cave Canem.
31:03 - 31:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: I'm going to read several sections of a book I just received last week, the advanced copy.
31:15 - 31:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: It's coming out on the 14th of October.
31:19 - 31:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: It's beautiful.
31:22 - 31:25
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[laughter]
31:25 - 31:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: This is a true story.
31:29 - 31:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: It's a New England story.
31:32 - 31:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: I was asked by a historical museum in Waterbury, Connecticut
31:38 - 31:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: whether I would be willing to write a poem to honor
31:42 - 31:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: an 18th century slave named Fortune, whose skeleton is
31:50 - 31:53
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: a part of the museum's collection.
31:53 - 31:59
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: The museum didn't realize the history of Fortune.
31:59 - 32:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And they were given this skeleton about 50 years ago,
32:02 - 32:04
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: and nobody knew who it was.
32:04 - 32:07
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And about five years ago, the museum
32:07 - 32:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: hired some historians to do research about it.
32:10 - 32:15
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: They did historical research and also forensic research.
32:15 - 32:19
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And they gave me all of the results of their research.
32:19 - 32:23
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And I'm going to read, I think, four sections of this piece
32:23 - 32:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: called Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem.
32:28 - 32:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: This is the preface.
32:32 - 32:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Fortune was born, he died.
32:35 - 32:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Between those truths stretched years of drudgery,
32:39 - 32:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: years of pit deep sleep in which he hauled and lifted,
32:45 - 32:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: dug and plowed, glimpsing the steep impossibility
32:50 - 32:52
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: of freedom.
32:52 - 32:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Fortune's bones say he was strong.
32:55 - 33:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: They speak of cleared acres, miles of stone walls.
33:00 - 33:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: They say work broke his back.
33:03 - 33:10
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Before it healed, they say, he suffered years of wrenching pain.
33:10 - 33:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: His wife was worth $10 and their son $166.
33:17 - 33:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: A man unmanned, he must sometimes have waked with balled-up fists.
33:24 - 33:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: A white priest painted water on his head, and Fortune may
33:29 - 33:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: or may not have believed whom Christ offered no respite,
33:34 - 33:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: no reprieve, only salvation.
33:39 - 33:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Fortune's legacy was his inheritance, the hopeless hope
33:43 - 33:48
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: of a people valued for their labor, not for their ability
33:48 - 33:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: to watch and dream as v's
33:51 - 33:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: of geese define fall evening skies.
33:55 - 33:57
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Was Fortune bitter?
33:57 - 33:59
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Was he good or bad?
33:59 - 34:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Did he sometimes throw back his head and laugh?
34:03 - 34:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: His bones say only that he served and died,
34:09 - 34:16
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: that he was useful even into death, stripped of his name,
34:16 - 34:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: his story, and his flesh.
34:20 - 34:26
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
34:26 - 34:33
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: This is, Fortune's wife's name was Dinah. This is called Dinah's Lament.
34:33 - 34:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Ms. Lydia doesn't clean the doctor room.
34:36 - 34:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: She says she can't go in that room.
34:38 - 34:40
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: She's scared.
34:40 - 34:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: She makes me take the dust rag and the broom and clean
34:44 - 34:47
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: around my husband hanging there.
34:47 - 34:51
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Since she's seen Fortune head in that big pot,
34:51 - 34:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Miss Lydia said that room made her feel ill,
34:54 - 34:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: sick with the thought of boiling human broth.
34:58 - 35:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: I wonder how she'd think it made me feel.
35:01 - 35:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: To dust the hands what used to stroke my breast,
35:05 - 35:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: to dust the arms what hold me when I cried,
35:09 - 35:13
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: to dust where his soft lips were and his chest
35:13 - 35:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: what curved its warm against my back at night.
35:17 - 35:28
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Through every season, sun up to star light, I heft, scrub, knead, one Black woman alone,
35:28 - 35:36
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: except for my children, a world so white, nobody know my pain but Fortune bones.
35:36 - 35:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]
35:42 - 35:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: What the museum discovered was that Fortune was owned by a doctor.
35:46 - 35:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: This was before the days of medical schools.
35:50 - 35:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Fortune and his family were owned by a doctor, Preserved Porter.
35:55 - 35:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: This was just before the American Revolutionary War.
35:58 - 36:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And when Fortune died, Dr. Porter prepared the skeleton
36:02 - 36:05
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: and hung it in a room in his home
36:05 - 36:08
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: to teach people, medical students,
36:08 - 36:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: about the articulation of human skeleton.
36:12 - 36:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: This is one episode of that.
36:17 - 36:20
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: The history of medical studies in the United States
36:20 - 36:24
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: is full of stories like this.
36:24 - 36:29
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: The earliest dissections were mostly performed
36:29 - 36:32
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: on African Americans on slaves.
36:32 - 36:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: So this is Dr. Porter speaking here.
36:34 - 36:39
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: He performed this dissection which required him to drill holes
36:39 - 36:44
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: in the bones and boil them to separate marrow from the bones
36:44 - 36:46
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: and the flesh from the bones.
36:46 - 36:48
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: He performed this on a hill outside
36:48 - 36:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: of the town called Abrigador Hill.
36:50 - 36:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And this is called On Abrigador Hill.
36:54 - 37:00
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: For 50 years, my feeling hands have practiced the bone setter's
37:00 - 37:06
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: healing touch, a gift inherited by Porter men.
37:06 - 37:09
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: I have manipulated joints, cracked necks,
37:09 - 37:12
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: and set my neighbors back to work.
37:12 - 37:18
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: I bled and purged fever and flux, inoculated for smallpox,
37:18 - 37:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: prescribed fresh air and vegetables, cod liver oil and laudanum
37:22 - 37:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: and closed the lifeless eyes of the new dead.
37:27 - 37:34
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And I've been humbled by ignorance, humbled by ignorance.
37:34 - 37:38
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Herewith begins my dissection of the former body
37:38 - 37:42
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: of my former slave, which served him
37:42 - 37:45
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: who served me throughout his life,
37:45 - 37:50
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: and now serves the advance of science.
37:50 - 37:55
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Note well how death softens the human skin,
37:55 - 38:01
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: making it almost transparent, so that under my reverent knife,
38:01 - 38:03
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: the first cut takes my breath away.
38:03 - 38:07
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: It feels like cutting the whole world.
38:07 - 38:11
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: It falls open like bridal gossamer.
38:11 - 38:14
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And I am humbled by ignorance.
38:14 - 38:17
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Humbled by ignorance.
38:17 - 38:22
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Standing on a new continent beyond the boundaries of nakedness,
38:23 - 38:27
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: I am forever changed by what I see.
38:27 - 38:35
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: The complex, delicate organs fitted perfectly in their shelter of bones, the striated
38:35 - 38:43
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: and smooth muscles, the beautiful integuments, the genius strokes of thumb and knee.
38:43 - 38:54
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: In profound and awful intimacy, I enter Fortune and he enters me.
38:54 - 38:56
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: And I am humbled by ignorance.
38:56 - 38:58
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
Marilyn Nelson: Humbled by ignorance.
38:58 - 39:02
Circle Jam and Cave Canem Reunion Reading, 2004 September 25, Tape 1 [UA0017-DVCAM-0059] [Transcript]
[applause]