Mimetic Theory

This poem emerges from a tacking between a series of field engagements with precarity and deep immersions in the literatures of sacrifice. It is anchored by the vortex that Rene Girard proposed as the origin of culture. The prosody evokes this toggling and swirling, embodies the ritual character of assault and assent, and reminds us of the consequences of the inexorable escalation of desire. The imagery emphasizes the collusion demanded by comity, the connivance entailed by expiation, and the complicity required of forgiving and forgetting. I provide a poetic translation of the perils of observation inspired by Girard's theorizing. The poem invites us to imagine what we might be willing to renounce in order to prevent consumption from consuming us.