History is nothing other than the infinitely intricate present that surrounds us—the panoply of residues and effects, accidental and chosen—that adorn and litter the landscape of our desires.
—Joan Retallack, “The Experimental Feminine”
I stick my tongue in it to try to stop it
faster
The temporal feminine sticks to it
A mosaic
of facts abruptly
Makes the body disappear over time.
Stick my tongue in it
The impatient lover
Reclining fast and then slow
Like an instance of recognition
Lovely freak unwind this love
**Image: Nan Goldin, Swan-like embrace, Paris, 2010, Chromogenic print, 30 x 40 inches; 76 x 102 cm.
