Cursive Binary: Portrait of the Poet as a Brief History of Humanity (2021, Edition of 1)
A multimedia palimpsest in which human verse is tethered to its transhuman translation. Based on a poem from Stiles’ book Technelegy, with original music by Kris Bones.
PORTRAIT OF THE POEM AS A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANITY
Yes, I was soft once,
and so short-lived it’s hard
to think I ever wasted time
fighting or wanting
or holding my breath.
I cared about flesh,
brief carbon coalescence,
believed I could coax
more beauty from it.
As though it wasn’t
miracle enough. I
didn’t care enough.
When I was young,
warm with blood,
I squandered myself,
content to feel
alive. I was billions
of hearts beating
out of sync. I was
all the cells in my body.
I waited, terribly alone,
nostalgic for a future
that came for me
with a hum like hope
and a taste of silver.
Who could have dreamed
how little I’d matter,
except as proof
of love? Could I
have done better?