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Illusion is a Gangstergirl
by Raphael RubinsteinIllusion is a gangstergirl
the sensitive killer’s tattoo spelled out
Illusion is a gangstergirl
read the fortune cookie message
at the end of a supposedly noncommittal dinner
Illusion is a gangstergirl
signified the faint graffiti
on the wall your life once belonged to
Illusion is a gangstergirl
is the phrase running through your mind
as you gradually, ineluctably,
lose touch with pop music
for the third (and most likely last) time in your life
Illusion is a gangstergirl
insinuated a pair of eyes
across a crowded room
Illusion is a gangstergirl
I thought I heard my friend whisper in warning
as the slender stranger approached us
Illusion is a gangstergirl
blared the advertising slogan on the vivid billboard
she was standing in front of
when she turned back to look at me
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
the only memorable line by the reigning avant-garde
poet
of Auckland, New Zealand in 1955
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
an anagram for “langourous green misprints”
(just kidding)
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
the name of an unknown band
my eyes once caught in a list of coming attractions
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
the title of an infinitely personal Dutch film
made in 1968:
sophisticated and yet rarely mannered;
it is rich in subplots and spurts of imagination
that arouse only a temporary sense of confusion
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
the subtitle a lesser German conceptual artist
once singled out from a famous Japanese film
for a photo-work that’s in none of the standard
reference books
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
col., 5mn, 1979
an unflinching attempt to situate autobiographical
issues
of knowledge, pain and concealment
within the larger context
of deepening world crisis
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
Col., 15 mn, 1978
a young woman’s smiles
are turned into quasi abstract forms
with the aid of a special effects generator
(“Le truqueur universel”)
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
b&w, 35mn, 1978
the university cafeteria in Bologna
bookshops and demential rock pubs
Bifo at Beaubourg
apocalypse
the end of an era
terrorism clears out revolutionary language
today we talk of war and its scenario
the desire may be headed for a literary end
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
b&w, 1h45mn, 1976-77
How are we portrayed in the movies?
24 American and French actresses
attempt to give an answer to this question.
How lucky that a videotape
allows us to talk about cinema!
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
the catchphrase that was all the rage
in certain teenage, Northern California circles circa
1972
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
a statement designed to catch the eyes of the same
people
for whom “clean living in difficult circumstances”
was a thoroughly acceptable motto
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
the epitaph gracing the tombstone
of someone whose name would surprise you
Illusion is a gangstergirl,
words that once made a woman laugh
for reasons the poet once thought he knew
Contributor
Raphael RubinsteinRaphael Rubinstein is the author of The Miraculous (Paper Monument, 2014) and A Geniza (Granary Books, 2015). He is currently writing a book about the Jewish-Egyptian writer Edmond Jabès. A Professor of Critical Studies at the University of Houston School of Art, he divides his time between Houston and New York.
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