I HAVE NO CONTEMPORARY THOUGHT

after Kim Hyesoon

once more, he repeated that delimiting the now
of contemporaneity was of the utmost—
wriggling concept clusters, that’s the spirit,
tingling loins of liminality, how else could we possibly sex this life?
what is the air when you could have a think dank? he orates
and I boing boing boing cutting my cuticles out of my square thumb
I have a theory I say, a crusty-video-mall theory, a bloody-nose-party theory
a gawking-teen-maximal-angst theory, a tarmac-sun-squish theory
have you heard of my theory? I ask
swivel-chair-mammoth theory, duh, the catastrophic-lollipop theory
I pull out the last lisa frank notebook in the world from my backpack
covered in pencil shavings and eraser dust and sour patch
birth control sugar
he has equated the transnational with the asymmetrical
the subjectivity with the rejection of historicity
he repeats the axioms of the past and future theories—
I belch into the videogame void
the toggle is mine to generate over this licorice vice
press A, sequence engaged heroine theory
which heroine? which one is it?
he rips the controller from my hands
are you triumph or intravenous-death theory?
rotting-plotless theory, I wolf out into the night.

–Alex Niemi

Alex Niemi is a writer and award-winning translator. Her translations include For the Shrew and Hekate by Anna Glazova (Zephyr Press and Toad Press/Veliz Books), as well as The John Cage Experiences by Vincent Tholomé (Autumn Hill Books). She is also the author of the poetry chapbook Elephant (dancing girl press). Her translation work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and nominated for the Best of the Net.