‘I am going to get into a lot of trouble.’ – Raymond Radiguet, Possessed by the Devil, Grasset 1923 As though it could be any other way. As though I have not tried measure after measure. All to encounter a brush-off as tender as a backhand across the face. As though a quarter-century-plus experience matters less than a…

A stirring. Darkness ripples, and a sharp pain pierces through this enshrouding numbness. The silence once again resumes that tangible quality, the childbirth pangs of language ready to emerge. The black molts into a brightening gray, then bleeds off like ink diluted in water. Images arise, evoking words after an everlong muteness. The echoes of…