T h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e s e r i e s
c o m e s o n l y i n t h e f o r m o f a t e x t
C r e a t i v e M a r k u p L a n g u a g e
Say at the corner of m street and m avenue. A yield
yield
sign painted
sign painted over
in yellow first so it blended in to look like a blank, then tagged over
in black CML (or LVL), in other words no longer NOT A THROUGH
a through
street
STREET. Now it’s CML or some such, which could
could
be read
be read as nine hun-
dred fifty, or—alternately more recently—Creative Markup Language.
Suits a sign. At the very end of the north part of m street BEWARE OF
beware of
dog
DOG up against the 101, or CI. The sour grey air
air
acts tough
acts tough and shouts
rain but no clouds in the sky. A swing set spots astroturf. A presbyterian
beer can, then something soft to punt, but just don’t look down, keep
down keep
walking
Walking. A block on it’s a glance at the nearest thing to
to
the sea
the sea other
than the sea. Too far away say to judge the upholstery, or make
the plot seem more real with clearer marks, or too far on to assign
to assign
names
Names to shapes or traits to drivers. Here see an
an
old book
old book shelf
in a hall with three paperbacks, an old road guide, and a bible.
Near here see a man run his dog off leash, scold him when he
when he
sniffs
Sniffs out a pizza box, and sneeze NAME in a
a
caustic way
caustic way that
cinches then twists me, and both ankles collapse. We’re in the
purview of a cul de sac. Here see a cat at a stray coffee cup off a
off a
curb
Curb cut, all the while a new palm hangs low and
and
saws shadows
saws shadows
into earth
C u l d e s a c
Like you're approaching a cliff but not. And not since
because
it’s high
it's high and
you're not. Not since although beyond you, over the not-cliff, there's
movement but it's not tides at you it's a side to side thing. Not side to
side to
side
Side arbitrarily but left to right precisely, precisely like
like
reading or
reading, or just
like reading in this language you’re reading. And not since it's all
tarred. It's not since if it were, the cliff would face the canted face you
face you
face
Face, but it doesn't, you face it, canted. Not since though
although
it’s steep
it's steep, it's
one way down if you're at the top, and if you're not, the climbing
up's tough. It’s no belvedere. Not since it comes in waves but it’s
but it’s
not
Not the waves of moons you know, these come in droves
droves
not waves
not waves,
these phases are fickle, prone to revving, pedals on gas revving,
on tracks, primed to swerve, at other times prone to nod off and
off and
off
Off and crawl down, slowest snarl. Not since there's
there’s
no vista
no vista
beyond there is only the cambered line, adjusting for vision
and for the snarl, a whir’s fraction
T h e r e i s a t i n y r a m p l e a d i n g u p
t o t h e p l i n t h o f r i s k
With the end of the work, even if the work is comparatively
comparatively
small comes
small, comes a
weighted lull. Cars and cars skim down the slight decline completely
without bump, without blemish at least from this curb, cropped like a
like a
proscenium
Proscenium by two bluff-propped houses. Do they predate
predate
the freeway
the freeway is
a question. Bumps do exist, below, in hard relief, as with grains of
sand propelling shuffleboard stone. A spider of imaginary bent lights
bent lights
upon
Upon my arm. I think, taxonomy? armbound? It is just
just
actually a
“actually” a solo
hair, attached to an arm in a solo breeze, Not much license to skulk the
cul de sac. Dogs needing walks otherwise are. Smokers are. Decor is
decor is
out
Out early, foregrounding pillows of soft asphalt, just
just
poured a
poured, a cooling
cake. See how cones in groups receive a comical respect in the face of
footsteps. Differences between potted plants. I still feel sketch. I’m
sketch I’m
walking
Walking here. Worth what much. How would you like
like
the night
the night to play out?
It was a great season, a winning season, a very good season, and the freeway
sign glows: Melrose, Normandie, Vermont, with arrows. If you’re heading
you’re heading
west
West the exits are very bountiful. I’m facing
facing
south and
south and weeds, a wall
retaining earth, tarmac, steel, light, flesh. How many times can I write
I can’t write this before xxxxx I don’t presume to build on this phrase, to
phrase to
belabor
Belabor it, to construct some progress out of an
an
undoing or
undoing or a landing
out of an undoing. Here see tomorrow’s recycling. Will I edit this, will
I be richer? I forego the ramp. On the street a box of apples. Forego the
forego the
ramp
T h e r e i s a t i n y r a m p l e a d i n g u p
t o t h e p l i n t h o f r i s k
At the show a hollowed wall obstructs an entrance, you
you
look inside
look inside to
see photographs of an outside, another state, and one of them is of a
street sign that reads END. A second hollowed wall frames another
frames another
entrance
Entrance. The artist returns, when the work is over,
over
to tell
to tell a waiting
watching crowd, THE END. Forego the ramp. Are you physically tired
here. And despite the long way around you continue to be here. You
here you
appear
Appear to measure the shapes of your attempts against
against
the shapes
the shapes
of the attempts of others. And keep thinking that resistance is in
the spine, and how that meant. And to jettison values, harvest
values harvest
others
Others, that too. And moreover to read words at
at
face value
face value, too.
Over there, there is a tiny ramp leading up to the plinth of risk.
Along it when they carry the soft side against their bodies and
bodies and
faces
Faces because it feels reasonable and right
right
and good
and good, and the
hard mirrored side away from them reflecting faintly surroundings
but unable to see surroundings or other reflections, too. When a
when a
crowd
Crowd is a fickle, loses interest crowd. When
when
the workers
the workers have jobs
and keep working. When most lose interest in the deeds and workers
keep working. When the sign says END it means end and they mean
we mean
end
End. When they keep on until the artist says THE END.
end
the work
The work is not
hard but it’s odd and it’s right there in the foreground but as far as the
crowd seems concerned it (the work) fades into furniture and the like
the like
but
But the workers keep working the workers keep
keep
working the
working the workers
keep working the
( )
What it is is it’s a typical combination of being
being
obstruction and
obstruction and
causing obstruction. It’s pretty much flush when blocked, and
can’t be seen by x-ray. If we’ve got a problem and we’ve caught
we’ve caught
something
Something that we understand, we could charge less
less
but still
but still
absolutely more than typical cases. I mean I realize I should have
brought the problem sooner but I just wasn’t expecting it today, it
today it
costs
Costs xxxxx bucks while underway and we received
received
one of
one of the
forms of insurance for altogether different problems and it gets
harder getting older. So I’m just making sure all the issues we
issues we
have
Have to deal once and for all with are all one at
at
a time
a time as we
focus on organizing because you know it’s kind of a big
problem
S t o n e h e n g e
Come upon a pile of rocks and be moved. Bored
bored
or amped
or amped are two
given options for words from T9. City—just say it—ingest it. A
mealy consistency. Emboldened or emblandened, go about your
about your
business
Business. Chalk sign says chef special. In a trance of
of
the last
the last third
of The Goaltender’s Anxiety. Don’t look up, focus on the screen
input and output. Beyond which richer sandstone or slate. Beyond
slate beyond
which
Which mud trace. Beyond which chase light taking a
a
one third
one-third
permissible on the left in the intersection. In the left hand 48
cans of prescription cat food, left shoulder slung, and with the
with the
right
I type a contribution that only comes in the form of
of
a text
a text.
Catch an edge of offmark grout, or a grass blade aloft, or an
afterimage of a flashing hand telling a walker that will never
will never
come
Never come to not cross and I think with some
some
shiny conceit
shiny conceit
I am courting fuller work. Everything here is a Center For,
everything here is Immediate Care, is No Turns, is Wigs, or is
or is
fast
Fast Repair and I think with some errant lift, here
here
is the
is the crust of
a larger pie. When the traces of all of this turn to stonehenges,
I feel light and right. When that student for his design strategy
design strategy
I
I Took Stonehenge Outta The Picture the thing
thing
is we
is, we’re all
always taking stonehenge out, with each step, scrape, burn,
dodge, doze. Types of alterations. Thing is, beware the itch of
itch of
a
A do-over. Had my head down and all at once a
a
sign flying
sign flying above
it hit me. You and I are gonna break even. You and I are gonna
break even! But say you meet no milestones popping up off the
off the
arrow
Arrow straight road over the asphalt and through
through
the weeds
the weeds but
rather say an accounting of smaller rocks say with less formal
attributes, themselves unique but also rubble, say formed from
formed from
erosion
Erosion or explosion or drift say at at the mercy
mercy
of elements
of elements,
compared to upright herms, say for lighthouses a promontory
cementing a course, say for other impediments impeding still
impeding still
other
Other impediments
Steven Chodoriwsky is an artist and designer based in Los Angeles. He was a research fellow at Jan van Eyck Academie, Maastricht, and Center for Contemporary Art, Kitakyushu, and holds degrees from Tokyo Institute of Technology and University of Waterloo. He teaches architecture and landscape architecture at Cal Poly Pomona.