Wørd: anthropology: n. the study of man

In the anthropology program in college we studied Boaz, Benedict, Mead, Malinowski, Levi-Strauss, Radcliffe-Brown, Durkheim, Mauss, Evans-Pritchard, and Leakey. We framed thought through structuralism, post-structuralism, Marxism, multiculturalism, etc. Ironically though, the question that was never asked there was who and what was this “man” we were studying.

Perhaps such a question is best delved into in a philosophy of anthropology forum, yet it is such an elemental, basic question, and it was a question that was totally avoided. So it seems that the unacknowledged bias/lens through which this whole field of study is processed is totalistic materialism.

with no purpose
no design
with no purpose
no design
with no purpose
no design

Uh, no. Still, my interest lies in understanding the origin, nature, and destiny of human beings…holistic anthropology. Time to unlearn…time to understand the focus of the lens.

Anger: Fireworks

In Fireworks I released all the explosive pyrotechnics of a dream. Inflammable desires dampened by day under the cold water of consciousness are ignited that night by the libertarian matches of sleep and burst forth in showers of shimmering incandescence. These imaginary displays provide a temporary release. — the anger

Prologue:

antipieta of sailor and the anger in storm

Act I: Preparation for the Dream

the anger comes awake to prepare for his dream

broken idol hand

idol of desire revealed

photos of antipieta scattered on floor

the anger begins vesting…casts photos…continues vesting…parallel life sized idol

the anger casts off empty institution and authority

door marked GENTS

Act II: Enter the Dream

the anger awakes into his dream…darkened…in storm

sailor…beauty…desire

the anger produces cigarette…fumophobic aggression

roaring fireplace…sailor produces bundle of sticks…alights from fire…proceeds to light the anger’s fag…with flaming bundle of sticks

sailor tosses sticks into fire…leaves the anger to smoke

storm

the anger alone with his forbidden pleasure…advanced upon by gang of menacing, fumophobic sailors

sailor…institution…authority

repression…violence

milk smashed…desire unleashed aggression

the anger eviscerated…pressure gauge

milk poured…desire unleashed enjoyed

the anger is left on floor…capped…conquered or conquering?

Act III: Return from the Dream

GENTS door opened from bedroom…from the fly of sailor…sparks of one tradition fly

another tradition held aloft…ignites…moves toward babe lord of the dance

tradition hurled into fireplace with burning photos

Epilogue:

the anger asleep…repaired idol hand…falls