“When artists give form to revelation, their art can advance, deepen
and potentially transform the consciousness of their community.” ~ Alex Grey
Words that Nudged History
Jayne Cortez was born this week (May 10th), in 1934. The poet, activist and publisher Cortez grew up in the Watts district of Los Angeles. In 1964, she founded the Watts Repertory Theater Company, which staged work to highlight racial inequalities. She published 11 books of poetry and established the independent publishing company Bola Press in 1971. The Africa American Registry compares her work to that of Judith Malina and The Living Theatre. “[H]er ability to push the acceptable limits of expression to address issues of race, sex and homophobia place her in a category that few other women occupy.” She died in 2012.12
These New York City Pigeons
by JAYNE CORTEZ
These New York City Pigeons
cooing in the air shaft
are responsible for me
stubbing my toe
spraining my ankle
and getting sick on ammonia fumesThat pigeon roosting on the clothesline
stole my nightgown
Those pigeons on the street lamp
made me feel foolish
while riding in a black car
completely splattered
with their grey & white poo pooThese New York City pigeons
are not calm like pigeons of Oxalá in Brazil
and do not croon like doves of ZimbabweNew York City pigeons moan
strange low mournful quivering cancer-like moans
mixed with
hungry hyena barks
& gulping loss of the forest criesNew York City pigeons
are not relaxed like
pigeons sunning at
Marcel Duchamp swimming pool in San FranciscoNew York City pigeons are not happy like
pigeons standing on head of the woman
selling bananas on a street corner in JohannesburgNew York City pigeons
flap viral leather fungus dust from wings into faces
then sit on steps vocalizing & waiting
for the death of humankindNew York City pigeons
are not friendly like
pigeons eating flaky crescent-shaped rolls at
Hotel du Piémont in ParisNew York City pigeons
are not content
like pigeons
posing for photos on arms
of men in plaza of CaracasNew York City pigeons
will lounge on ledges
& murmur profanity all day
will fight for fucking space in
the mating season
shit on air conditioners
& wipe their asses on windows
while big cockroaches
suck Sucrets in the darkNew York City pigeons
are not alert
like pigeons
sitting quietly on bicycles
in peace memorial park of HiroshimaNew York City pigeons
roll their pearly eyes
inflate their throats
and defecate on the shoulders of pedestriansNew York City pigeons
have no love for crumb-throwing pigeon lovers
& no year of the pigeon is celebrated
at least
not for these New York City PigeonsJayne Cortez, "These New York City Pigeons" from On the Imperial Highway. Copyright © 2009 by Jayne Cortez. Reprinted by permission of Hanging Loose Press.
Source: On the Imperial Highway (Hanging Loose Press, 2009)
Dear Reader,
This week I finally settled down to watch All that Breathes. It has won awards for Best Documentary at both the Sundance, and Cannes festivals. It also has a critics’ rating of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. While it was not available in India at first, it has been streaming in India since July 2023.3
I thought I “got” the film, but later learned that there was much more going on than was obvious to someone like me—someone who knows very little about the politics of Delhi.
The film focuses on two Muslim brothers who have dedicated their lives to caring for injured black kites, a bird of prey that has largely taken over the niche that vultures have left due to DDT poisonings4. The brothers struggle to get funding for their clinic.
The documentary was filmed in 2021/22 when the Indian government was implementing new laws that discriminated according to religion—Muslims specifically. There’s rioting in the streets. The protests provide a stark contrast with the brothers’ quiet demeanour—bordering on reticence. During a dinner scene, the wife of one of the brothers wonders where they will go if India sends them out. Pakistan? That’s not an option, without proof of citizenship.
One thing that struck me as an odd choice, was the number of scenes that involved the brothers eating. Dinners. Snacks. The scene where they are struggling with a failing meat grinder that they are using to prepare food for the kites, carried a weight that I couldn’t quite grasp.
I felt like I was missing something important about the story. Kites aren’t an endangered species, so why did this feel so urgent?
I was also curious if the kites were helping with the issue that Zoroastrians were having due to the lack of vultures, in regard to the way they rely on the birds for end-of-life rituals.5 This bit of conservationist trivia might be one of the only facts I knew about Southasian birds.
I found on an article in Himal Southasian6 titled ‘The Secrets of “All that Breathes”’.7
While I understood that the men identified with the kites, I missed why the birds in this film are a metaphor for the men themselves.
There’s an unavoidable, and poignant, wordplay in “kite”. While the film mentions pollution, it never really explains why these birds are injured in such startling numbers. It’s because the local people do kite-fighting: paper kites with glass-coated strings, unintentionally killing people8 and birds alike.
And all the scenes where the brothers are eating? According to the article, the animal hospital is run by the Jain community, “[…] whose commitment to ahimsa, or non-violence, extends to a strict adherence to vegetarianism. The establishment did not treat carnivores, since feeding meat to patients was not allowed.”9
One of the brothers says about the discrimination against the birds of prey, “It hit us somewhere inside, because we were nonvegetarians ourselves.” Muslims among Hindus and Jains.
The article quotes the film: ‘"You don't care for things because they share the same country, religion or politics. Life itself is kinship. Hum sab hawa ke biradari hai (We're all a community of air). That's why we can't abandon the birds.”.’
A fascinating mini-doc/interview about the documentary:
Elsewhere in India… The Hargila Army.
We should all write a poem about the “bone swallowers”. How can we not?
Instead of an artsy short film, and in the name of my wasps, I give you the hilarious “Save Ugly”:
As always, I hope these sparked some ideas, and I welcome your thoughts.
Have a great week!
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_Cortez
https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Music/2013/01/12/Poet-activist-Jayne-Cortez-dies-at-78/42011358004567/
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/hollywood/news/shaunak-sens-documentary-all-that-breathes-premieres-digitally-in-india-on-ott/articleshow/101594594.cms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_vulture_crisis
https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/death-the-last-taboo/disposing-of-the-dead-exposure/#:~:text=Zoroastrians%2C%20Iran%20and%20India,-Zoroastrians%20are%20from&text=The%20preferred%20body%20disposal%20method,nature%20from%20whence%20we%20came.
As the magazine puts it, “Yes, that’s one word.” https://www.himalmag.com/about-himal
https://www.himalmag.com/comment/all-that-breathes-oscars-india-muslims-documentary-film
https://www.voanews.com/a/police-kite-fighting-string-responsible-for-india-festival-deaths/6931342.html
https://www.himalmag.com/comment/all-that-breathes-oscars-india-muslims-documentary-film