Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 07:23:05 -0500
From: owner-sa-cyborgs-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu (by way of radhika gajjala <radhika-AT-cyberdiva.org>)
Subject: 


Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 22:52:06 EST
Subject: Exploring
To: sa-cyborgs-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
CC: Kurvanas-AT-aol.com

Exploring


Exploring deserts
of history, of memory
lost and rediscovered,
I remember reading
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
and the truth about Lawrence of Arabia
losing every damned word of it
on a commuter train,
then in a frantic heartattack
rush of genuine balls-to-the-wall
he rewrote the whole thing from memory
in a few days and still published it
to worldwide acclaim.
It is on my list of primary sources
while I study the origin of the world
conflict of man in the Middle East,
but all I can think about truth
gleaned from second-hand knowledge
in third- or fourth- or haste-generation writings, is:
was the forgetful man eternally praised
or just the blue-eyed beauty of the actor
made a Sir?

[c 2002 thomas fortenberry]