Meera Atkinson

A daydream: philosophy comes for the geological anthropocene to shake it down with thought. Dr Alberts-Dezeeuw's Burmese cat discusses the nexus of the anthropocene and the patriarchy regularly with Derrida's cat on Skype, Derrida's cat having been adopted by Cixous after his death. The cats get along famously (they're best friends) and, encouraged by Cixous, Dr Alberts-Dezeeuw's Burmese cat is writing an ecriture feminine novel on the matter, meanwhile, mentored by Dr Alberts-Dezeeuw, the cats are working on a paper together about the human habit of anthropomorphising non-human animals as a symptom of the tragedy of the industrialised, corporatised, diminished human condition, which they plan to present at the next animal-human studies conference. Sometimes when Dr Alberts-Dezeeuw is thinking and taking notes in his armchair of an evening he and his Burmese cat-who has not been able to stretch to veganism, but who has, at least, vowed off 'recreational' hunting-consider time and ontology across the species. Though these conversations can last rather a long time Dr Alberts-Dezeeuw's Burmese cat always has the last word, concluding with a sigh and a philosophical flick of the tail: 'I think the Buddhists are right.'


 
Meera Atkinson

*this is a fictocritical vignette embodying the gibbon by way of Dr Malone's words

We are the Hainan black crested gibbon and there are 17 of us left we are your history humans as disturbers we are within you it's a constructed process we are the human animal boundary gibbon the neglected ape not the great ape we are their history we are within them the marginalisation of us we are primatology's shifting gaze less than 10% original forest remains on Java and there are 17 of us left and do you know what that means us silvery human encroachment they take for trade and into their homes and reserves then came a tiger a supernatural being the forest has been dramatically altered by logging and we, taken as pets, need ethnographical methods but listen it was scary (the forest) not because of the ghost or the devil but  because of the animals (the absence of them) take our word this place is haunted spine chilling that's why it's important between forest and animals only 17 of us anywhere a place must have inhabitants right an expert says the study of nature is powerful, and power is cultural but listen there are only 17 of us we can count you know 17 yes 17


 
Meera Atkinson

On concrete their paws, their slither green gone
our urban their habitat lost. As you and I sit doing business
at a cafe, they fall  under wheels of cars, jump through
windows into our homes, fly over our heads and disappear,
returning as installations; sheep of chains (what a metaphor),
crow canopy, whales on walls and in air,
elephant
                topiary
                              lane.
And there, above the store, flight over rooftops
of swooping loss, swooping loss, and elsewhere
the sculptured head of a war horse stands as monument
to the endless suck  
into our madness
into our doom
into our wound.


 
Liana Christensen

Zoo Haiku 9

glass breaks like hearts

— tools may yet

     set me free
 
Meera Atkinson

Watch out owners of the means of production. 
Eyes everywhere, stealing into the dark, 
trespassing on our, on their behalf.
Watch out law makers of
the means of stealing production,
owners into the dark.
Eyes everywhere.
 
Meera Atkinson

Working in the fertile field of imagination;
toiling, playing, agitating them into the fabric, 
to hang on the walls of abattoir worlds.
 
Meera Atkinson


We see the art,
but not the artist;
eye of the beholder
 
Meera Atkinson

* This is the first of a series of responses to conference papers, which will be announced by the title and author of the paper. The idea is not to proffer works of literary genius set to last the test of time, but rather to fling forth first drafts of writerly, experiential reflections as promptly as possible. Feel free to use these as launching pads for further discussion around the paper or reflections of your own. 

If I speak you
how to speak you
not just of you
or speak at you
or around you
what we found you
or surround you
or defend you
or pretend you
or explain you
how to speak you
your unique you
smelling through you
see as you do
hear what you hear
fear what you fear
rear as you rear
give as you give
live as you live
cry as you cry
die as you die
if I speak you
speak your story
of your glory
through our sameness
and our difference
at resistance
if I speak
I speak through me
you me you me you me you me
then I speak
with the air of shared breath

 
Sandra Burr

A silver flash
catches me.
The fish hook
snagged in the cygnet's beak
seals her fate.

 
Liana Christensen

Zoo Haiku 8

my red hair gone

naked

apes stare