Cloudspotting by AnumaLei
We lay on the grass, with
a skyward gaze as it was
one of those days, devoted
for cloudwatching, until it became a
cloudshapespotting morning
you saw a feather & I saw a bird, you saw a dream-shaped
cloud,
& I thought it was absurd
& through this monotony,
we both didn’t see
all the cloud-shaped clouds
who—if they had eyes— could be looking down at you
while you were looking at me
What would we be to them?
Are we human-shaped humans,
worshipping god-shaped gods,
singing song-shaped songs,
for worshipdays-shaped worshipdays? What would we be
to them?
Are we human-shaped humans, or
are we something more?
& suddenly: the gong!
We get up for prayer afternoon,
we sing each song, we bloodlet,
we sacrifice, we sin in secret,
we lust, we let our animal instincts
take over during the night, we howl
under the moonlight, we howl
for a bountiful harvest, so that
for the resting days, we can rest,
& we condemn those who can’t,
(mostly the women &; the children) so that, for the next day,
AnumaLei is a self-taught Filipino artist currently residing in Canada. For the past 10 years,
he has been experimenting with different forms of art, from visual art to poetry & experimental
music. His work often incorporates grotesque & surreal elements that explore the anomalies
& absurdities of life & what comes after it, if there is any, as he is mostly inspired by his favorite
storytellers like Hieronymous Bosch, FKA Twigs, Brit Marling, Gaspar Noé, Charlie Kaufman,
Margaret Atwood, David Cronenberg, CocoRosie, & many more.
