AS I LAY DYING IV

AS I LAY DYING IV


DARL

“But then poets—
almost always wrong
about the facts.”
—William Faulkner,
“Gavin Stevens,”
The Town

“I guess i missed it—
the facts instead of the truth
right before my eyes.”

“I’m a poet—
without saying anything
everyone senses it.”

“it isn’t until—
as I lay dying got used
and rough trade got laid.”

“camptown races and—
all those short quick vignettes
as I lay dying.”

DARL

“Because he missed it.
He missed it completely”
—William Faulkner,
“Gavin Stevens,”
The Town

“they ain’t no poets—
down here in mississippi
not that i know of.”

“maybe i was one—
that wild look in my eyes
am i done crazy?”

“young vardaman’s one—
he thinks addie is a fish
the kid’s real crazy.”

“all the bundren boyz—
are matter of a fact mad.
takes one to know one.”

“jewel’s different tho—
his real father is whitfield
sweet & bible-tongued.

“addie deceived us—
whether outta sheer boredom
or maybe revenge.”

“jewel is the result—
the love child of jesus christ
and addie bundren.”

“all of us know it—
he doesn’t look at all like
addie bundren does he?”

“when jewel bought the horse—
wild texas spotted pony
working all night long.”

“deceiving us all—
cash who thought jewel was rutting
with some young girlfriend.”

“then later thinkin’—
it was a married woman
bored & needing it.”

“a woman with lots—
of staying power for sex
jewel fucking her good.”

“no wonder jewel was—
always falling asleep then
dreaming all the time.”

“working all night long—
for mister quick to pay for
flem’s spotted pony.”

JEWEL

“a kind of telepathic
agreement of admitted fear”
—William Faulkner,
As I Lay Dying

“the way addie looked—
so sadly each day at me
crying her heart out.”

“knowing that deceit—
was running thru both our veins
I’d fooled even her.”

“full of motherly—
worry & concern for me
burning midnight oil.”

“thinking I was sick—
something bad was wrong with me
sitting by my bed.”

“crying in the night—
quietly so she wouldn’t
wake me up at all.”

“darl kept laughing—
thinking I had a girlfriend
draining me each night.”

“something he wanted—
actually wanting it bad
getting me off too.”

“when I was fifteen—
that’s what he did every night
pulling my quilt back.”

“getting his thin lips—
on my holy-roller dick
whitfield’s big penis.

”he knew addie lied—
tried to deceive all of us
I was her love-child.”

“I was different—
than cash or darl down there
gnarled family tree.”

“the good reverend—
whitfield let himself he had
addie got her thrills.”

“whitfield wasn’t so—
holy like the bible sayz
his flock was deceived.”

“he had tainted blood—
from his octoroon mother,
golden vocal cords.”

“his winning sermons—
his swaying hymns praising god.
god was mulatto.”

“but then everyone—
down there in mississippi
had some negro blood.”

“that’s what the book said—
original sin was ours
mandingohood ruled.”

”others weren’t deceived—
the ladies of whitfield’s flock,
addie knew the truth.”

“darl not deceived—
wanting to see it each night
going down on me.”

“wishing he possessed—
my thick black rod of aaron,
seed of abraham.”

“the ecstatic surge—
of african negro kings
dinge mandingo dick.”

“so when I came home—
riding nude bareback one night
on my wild pony.”

“with a rope bridle—
and no had on my bare head,
I’d earned my money.”

“oh jewel!” darl whispered—
me riding bareback & nude,
flashing mane & tale.”

“down in the stables—
showing myself off so proud
darl was so jealous.”

DARL

“deceit ran along
quiet and monotonous,
all of us let ourselves
be deceived, since all
people are cowards”
—William Faulkner,
As I Lay Dying

“Let me ride,” he said—
Young Vardaman standing there
The rest of us.”

“let me ride,” he said—
sounding like a small cricket,
tiny little one.”

“cash simply nodded—
told anse what really happened
buying it from quick.”

“old man anse was pissed—
but what else could he fuckin’
do, it was my money.”

“well, naturally—
I sure was disappointed,
unnaturally.”

“kinda like dirty—
sexual disappointed
not getting’ any.”

“from then on jewel slept—
in the horse stable at night
with his wild pony.”

“jewel & his pony—
both of them wild & crazy
just like the snopes boyz.”

ADDIE

“Now is the truth.”
—William Faulkner,
As I Lay Dying

“I knew it back then—
the way deceit was coming
back to haunt me bad.”

“my beloved jewel—
guilt finally coming home,
my own cowardness.”

“a telepathic—
agreement telling me his
deceit had deep roots.”

“they ran quietly—
and monotonously thru
our family tree.”

“something had happened—
something had happened to jewel
I’d let it happen”

“it’s easy to do—
I was full of cowardness,
preferred it that way.”

“jewel was my love-child—
whitfield & I knew the truth,
his brother darl too.”

“darl threw back the quilt—
jewel laying nude there in bed,
bolt-upright, naked.”

“jewel’s mandingo meat—
licorice-black & uncut,
with a big pink head.”

“from then on incest—
joined with my adultery
cain, abel & eve.”

“my admitted fear—
miscegenational love
came back to haunt me.”

“I cried for dayz and—
long sleepless nights about him,
relieved yet haunted.”

TULL

“so you don’t mind
admitting then to folks
that are worrying about
the same thing that aint
worth the worry that
you are yourself”
—William Faulkner,
As I Lay Dying

“I gave her my word’—
anse standing by the river
rain-swollen & wild.”

“I looked at poor anse—
whatta sack of bananas,
what a fool, I thought.”

“bound & determined—
stubborn child-idiot man
he’d never grown up.”

“addie was getting—
even with the clod-hopper
bitter yankee wife.”

“addie ought to have—
stayed an old-maid school teacher
abolitionist.”

mississippi folks—
they’ll never change their old ways
cotton, slavery.”

“why’d she even try—
but maybe that’s why whitfield
gave her a love-child.”

“jewel the only way—
she could make up for the south
mississippi guilt.”

“jewel her mixed-blood son—
making up for slavery
those three hundred years.”