Will Newman is a poet, artist, and educator living in the unceded Lenape territory currently referred to as Philadelphia. Will received their MFA from CUNY-Brooklyn College, their BA from Hamilton College, and their previous writing can be found in The Columbia Journal, The Sonora Review, Fanzine, Prelude, and VICE, among other places. Will is also the managing director of the East Falls Community Garden and teaches high school students English and history. You can find them on the internet @w.m.n.inc and at wmnewmanjr.wixsite.com/uumn.
1 poem
by Will Newman
ARCHITECTURE & OBLITERATION
TO WITNESS CHANGE WE MUST REPEAT OURSELVES. FOR EXAMPLE, IF I RUN THE SAME FEW ROUTES IN THE PARK ALL YEAR I’LL KNOW THE WAYS GREEN AND WET AND RED AND ABSENCE CAN SHAPE A LANDSCAPE. AND IF I RUN MY HAND ALONG THE BACKSIDE OF MY CALF MUSCLE AND ENCOUNTER DIFFERENCE, IT IS BECAUSE I’VE BEEN PRAYING. YELLOW. THE WORD “CHANGE” DERIVES FROM A LATIN WORD MEANING “TO BARTER” AND THE ORIGIN OF WRITING SPRINGS FROM THE NEED TO RECORD ECONOMIC EXCHANGES AND CATALOG INVENTORY. THE POWER OF THE MARKET FORECLOSES OUR ABILITY TO DO ANYTHING BUT “MAKE CHANGE” (LIBERALISM), YET THERE’S MY PINK TRANSLUCENT ENVY IN THE AUTUMN LEAF OF JAPANESE MAPLE TREES. PINECONES. ALL THE FOXES WITH THE SHORT TAILS RUN AWAY. THAT ISN’T TRUE. I RECENTLY CONVINCED A STUDENT NOT TO WRITE ABOUT “THE SUBJECTIVITY OF CHANGE” BECAUSE I, PERSONALLY, COULD NOT LASSO WHAT THE FUCK THAT MEANT. HOWEVER, IN REFLECTION, I CONSIDER MYSELF UNFAIR. SEE: CHANGE. WHAT WOULD IT MEAN IF ARCHITECTURE WAS THE MOMENT THAT WE CAME INSIDE. I DON’T WANT TO RESIST THE URGE TO BLAME THE ARCHITECTS FOR US HAVING BECOME, NO LONGER ANIMAL, BUT HUMAN. ORANGE. IT’S A KNOWN FACT THAT MY CAT ENJOYS HER ARCHITECTURE ASEMIC. SHELTER WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE A WAY TO SURVIVE OCCASIONAL AND TEMPORARY DANGER. GOD DAMN HOW OBLONG WE ARE IN THE DEPTHS OF EVERYONE ELSE’S SHIN SPLINTS. I LAMENT HAVING BECOME SO HARD TO SAY.