{What
      Do
      I
      Know
      continued...}
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Truth.
     
    

    
     
      Do
      I
      know
      truth?
     
     
      Truth
      is
      that
      the
      smile
      I
      wear
     
    

    
     
      is
      only
      surface
      deep,
     
    

    
     
      and
      inside
      where
      it
      hurts
     
    

    
     
      I
      am
      weeping
      oceans.
     
    

    
     
      Truth.
     
    

    
     
      Yes
      I
      know
      truth..
     
    

    
     
      The
      truth
      is
      I
      can
      lie
     
    

    
     
      to
      everyone
      but
      you,
      because
      in
      the
      end
     
     
      you
      might
      realize
     
     
      that
      it
      is
      not
      true,
     
    

    
     
      I
      am
      still
      alone,
     
     
      and
      still
      searching.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      --Alice
      L.
      Gallant
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Just
      Like
      That
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’ve
      always
      wanted
      to
      be
      a
      skateboarder
     
    

    
     
      And
      a
      windsurfer,
      a
      biker
      and
      a
      drummer
     
    

    
     
      A
      lover
      and
      a
      loner
      and
      see
      the
      difference
     
    

    
     
      A
      beach
      bum
      and
      a
      street
      kid
      or
      maybe
      someone
      who
     
     
      would
      only
      smoke
      two
      cigarettes
      a
      day
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’ve
      always
      wanted
      to
      sing
      the
      blues
      and
      be
      happy
     
     
      Enjoy
      nature
      and
      hitchhike
      all
      over
      it
      while
     
    

    
     
      all
      the
      time
      not
      caring
      if
      anyone
      missed
      me
     
    

    
     
      I
      wanted
      to
      be
      a
      writer
      and
      never
      be
      phoney
     
    

    
     
      or
      maybe
      avoid
      all
      of
      that
      altogether
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’ve
      always
      wanted
      to
      dig
      jazz
      and
      understand
      classical,
     
    

    
     
      learn
      to
      appreciate
      dance
      music
      and
      dive
      into
      the
      crowd
      at
     
    

    
     
      a
      punk
      concert
      then
      not
      be
      scared
      to
      walk
      home
      or
      maybe
      just
      not
     
     
      have
      any
      music
      and
      save
      some
      money
      so
      I
      could
      buy
      some
      Top
      Siders
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’ve
      always
      wanted
      to
      grow
      my
      hair
      long
      and
      not
      look
      like
     
     
      you
      and
      play
      the
      guitar
      unless
      I
      heard
      a
      good
      bass
      line
      then
     
     
      I’d
      just
      learn
      something
      new
      and
      possibly
      get
      fed
      up
      with
     
     
      being
      talented
      and
      just
      be
      humble
      driving
      around
      in
      my
      Volvo
     
     
      and
      maybe
      not
      drink
      alcohol
      and
      be
      proud
      of
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’ve
      always
      wanted
      to
      feel
      comfortable
      around
      sports
      fans
      and
     
     
      not
      be
      scared
      of
      being
      lazy
      and
      play
      pool
      at
      an
      open
      table
     
     
      then
      study
      hard
      for
      about
      an
      hour
      and
      pray
      for
      awhile
      and
      not
     
     
      have
      people
      be
      disappointed
      in
      me
      and
      wake
      up
      with
      a
      new
     
     
      idea
      or
      maybe
      just
      be
      content
      waking
      up.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      --Dan
      MacCormac
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      Small
      Voice
     
    
   
   
    
     
      editors:
      Andrew
      Walsh
      and
      Josh
      Weale
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Unconcious
      ‘Recollections’
     
    

    
     
      George
      Anderson
      once
      again
      has
      surprised
      the
      literary
      community
      with
     
     
      his
      latest
      work;
      ‘Recollection’.
      Inthis
      poem
      George
      exhibits
      a
      maturity
     
     
      beyond
      his
      tender
      age
      as,
      in
      a
      lucid
      manner,
      he
      deals
      with
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      themes
      that
      have
      plagued
      the
      majority
      of
      the
      20th
      century’s
      great
     
     
      writers.
      George
      brings
      fresh
      insight
      and
      a
      unique
      perspective
      to
      such
     
     
      issues
      as
      feminism,
      marxism,
      the
      deficit,
      and
      the
      deconstruction
      of
      the
     
     
      mind-body
      dichotomy.
     
    

    
     
      George’s
      style
      is
      reminiscent
      of
      the
      past
      great
      stream-of-conscious-
     
     
      ness
      writers
      (notably
      Woolfe
      and
      Stein),
      yet
      he
      transcends
      the
      past
     
     
      masters
      in
      his
      primordial
      rejection
      of
      Western
      logocentrism.
      His
     
     
      unconscious
      flow
      is
      tempered
      with
      a
      probing
      intellect
      which
      does
      not
     
     
      let
      his
      goal
      elude
      him.
      George
      has
      escaped
      the
      sexist
      language
      which
     
     
      has
      chained
      these
      past
      greats
      to
      the
      era
      in
      which
      they
      wrote.
      To
      say
     
     
      ‘Recollection’
      is
      timeless
      would
      be
      no
      exaggeration.
     
    

    
     
      From
      the
      beginning,
      with
      his
      germane
      allusions
      to
      classical
      mythol-
     
     
      ogy,
      and
      the
      ageless
      beauty
      of
      his
      craft,
      George
      has
      become
      the
      latest
     
     
      poet
      in
      the
      tradition
      of
      Homer,
      Virgil,
      and
      Milton.
      But
      George
      breaks
     
     
      away
      from
      the
      weighty
      intellectualism
      which
      has
      dulled
      the
      effect
      of
     
     
      the
      great
      writings
      of
      the
      past.
      George
      asks
      us
      to
      leave
      our
      intellect
      at
     
     
      the
      door
      and
      to
      experience
      his
      poem
      only
      with
      our
      senses.
      He
      wishes
     
     
      to
      escape
      the
      application
      of
      context
      and
      category
      to
      sensation.
      To
      read
     
     
      ‘Recollection’
      is
      a
      journey
      into
      the
      unconscious,
      and
      George
      has
     
     
      facilitated
      this
      exploration
      of
      the
      human
      id
      in
      a
      manner
      astonishing
      for
     
     
      someone
      who
      must
      feel
      the
      pressure
      to
      conform
      to
      established
      defini-
     
     
      tions
      of
      ‘good
      writing’.
     
    

    
     
      What
      gives
      ‘Recollection’
      a
      distinct
      niche
      in
      the
      contemporary
     
     
      scene
      is
      its
      insurgent,
      militant
      usurping
      of
      conventional
      use
      of
      syntax.
     
     
      Sweetness
      or
      sweet-ness.
      The
      simple
      addition
      of
      a
      hyphen
      has
      added
     
     
      layers
      of
      meaning
      to
      this
      banal
      word.
      This
      is
      the
      act
      of
      poetic
      creation
     
     
      or,
      if
      you
      will,
      the
      radical
      forging
      of
      new
      definition.
      George’s
     
     
      Heideggerian
      influence
      is
      here
      most
      evident.
      The
      new
      meaning
      con-
     
     
      cocted
      by
      the
      separation
      of
      sweetness
      into
      its
      elementary
      units
      indicates
     
     
      to
      us
      the
      fusion
      of
      the
      essential
      and
      the
      non-essential.
      Sweetness
      is
      the
     
     
      essential
      character
      whereas
      sweet
      is
      a
      quality
      predicated
      on
      a
      more
     
     
      fundamental
      substance.
      Can
      this
      ‘mythical
      aphrodite’
      be
      one
      or
      the
     
     
      other?
      We
      must
      accept,
      as
      George
      so
      painfully
      does,
      that
      she
      is
      the
     
     
      symbol
      of
      beauty
      in
      its
      essence
      but
      at
      the
      same
      time
      must
      have
      beauty
     
     
      predicated
      on
      her,
      otherwise
      we
      would
      speak
      of
      her
      as
      a
      beauty
      rather
     
     
      than
      as
      a
      mythical
      goddess.
      How
      does
      George
      overcome
      this
      paradox?
     
     
      By
      separating
      himself
      from
      any
      kind
      ofa
      law
      of
      identity
      or
      rule
      of
      non-
     
     
      contradiction.
      Something
      can
      be
      itself
      and
      another
      at
      the
      same
      time.
     
     
      Aphrodite
      is
      both
      the
      essential
      and
      the
      non-essential
      in
      the
      most
      radical
     
     
      (fundamental
      and
      revolutionary)
      and
      thus
      paradoxical
      manner.
      If
      A
      is
     
     
      A
      and
      non-A
      simultaneously,
      how
      can
      George
      place
      her,
      or
      more
     
     
      importantly,
      know
      that
      she
      exists?
      But
      George
      refuses
      to
      answer
      this
     
     
      question
      for
      us.
      Rather,
      he
      leaves
      us
      his
      ambiguous
      term
      sweet-ness
     
     
      and
      the
      fundamental
      epistemological
      question,’’
      How
      will
      leverknow?’’.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Balph
      Eubanks,
     
     
      subjective
      idealist
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      11,
      1993/X-Press/15