Wednesday, March 25, 2009

#27 IRON AND SOAP! a collaborative exercise by CAConrad & Maria Mirabal

Take a square foot of white fabric and iron it on an ironing board until it's HOT and perfectly smooth. Make a fold and iron the fold into place. Put the warm fabric to your cheek and hold it there with your eyes closed. What are you thinking about? How does this make you feel? Lightly rub the freshly made crease against your nose and cheek and neck and forehead with your eyes closed. Take notes about how you are feeling. Make another crease over the first crease and iron that into place, then repeat the meditation of holding and lightly rubbing against your face. Take more notes, take notes, take even more notes. Make more creases over the other creases, iron, repeat, take notes, repeat, take notes AND DO NOT ANSWER THE PHONE or the door, ignore everyone. Take more notes. When you are finished taking notes, open your eyes. Take 7 steps to your left (if you can.) Now go wash your hands. Go to the nearest sink, or water fountain, or fire hydrant, or fountain. Use soap. Liquid soap: something that moisturizes. If you don’t have soap, go buy it and return to your found source of water. Good. Now wash your hands 7 times with the soap. If you are in a public place and people look at you, offer them some soap so they can wash their hands too. After the 7th wash, shake your hands as fast and as hard as you can. Count to 70 then stop. Take more notes and remember to NOT answer the phone! Now take all your notes, and using THE FILTERS "LINES" and "SMOKE" get to work shaping your poem.