Jordan Davis (@jordandavis) · DIRTY

Jordan Davis

@jordandavis

Poet.

1,246 Following2,645 Followers20,474 Posts

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Jordan Davis@jordandavis· 5d

John Levy @johnlevy337.bsky.social

Note to Dag T. Straumsvåg (December 16, 2023)
This note will invent a second tattoo parlor around a different corner from your place in Trondheim, because
how can there ever be enough of such establishments? In English we also speak of a funeral parlor, and, in French, parler means
to talk. Parlez vous tattoo? Oui, come in. We
enter the parlor I've invented-we walk in together and barely fit
through the wide door. The owner is playing Faure's Requiem at such high volume he has to write words on a notepad.
He writes, in English
because he can tell I'm an American (everyone can: it's my bad haircut and look of chronic bewilderment):
MY FATHER OWNS A FUNERAL PARLOR
DOWN THE BLOCK AND HE
PLAYS
FAURE
EVEN
You turn to me and mouth, "this guy should be a poet." The owner can lip read
and blushes, flattered.
LOUDER.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· 6d

Catherine Meng @queviva.bsky.social

OFF-SEASON
The rising moon
rising beyond a stand of birches
makes them closer
closer than the classic-rock angels of yore

until it is no longer easy to differentiate

the primary swell
from the secondary swell
from the tertiary swell

until it is no longer easy
to balance an egg on its point.

One last locust falls without
fanfare. Star-clusters cough & sizzle.

Watermelons are sold from a truck
in the wedge weeds along some frontage road.

This was the September
the economy became a character

pitied as often vibrancy is.

But I, a hack
dead to the shine,

cross as easily as dust
between the two extremes within a season,

plucking out
the many eyes

in the bank's lobby

where the tiles divide equally
around a ridiculous fountain

gone dry.

In the off-season
fishermen teach classes to surfers
on how to read waves.

In the off-season
I didn't feel lousy, exactly -
I just liked the word

followed by a comma
followed by exactly
followed by a dash

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· 24d

Long experience online tells me this is a pointless yodel into the abyss but — I’m going to try reading an entry a day in Cassin’s Dictionary of Untranslatables. Today, “abstraction.”

ABSTRACT ENTITIES
FRENCH
GERMAN
GREEK
LATIN
abstraction, abstrait Abstraktion, Entbildung aphairesis [apaígeoiç)
abstractio, ablatio, absolutio, abnegatio; separata, abstracta
• CATEGORY, EPOCHE, ESSENCE, FICTION, IMAGINATION, INTELLECTUS, INTENTION, NEGATION, NOTHING, REALITY, RES, SEIN, SUBJECT, UNIVERSALS
While the meaning of the term "abstraction" is not a problem in formal logic, where it refers to the operation that makes it possible to construct, using an "abstractor," a so-called "abstract" expression on the basis of another expression containing one or more free variables, the term's semantic field in philosophy and the theory of knowledge is more difficult to organize. When Condillac (L'Art de penser l.viii) denounces "the abuse of constructed abstract notions," and "in order to avoid this problem" asks that we look back to "the generation of all our abstract notions,....a method that has been unknown to philosophers,... who have sought to make up for it by means of definitions, his aim is dit-ferent from that of Aristotle when the latter mentions, under the rubric "abstract entities" or "things that exist in the abstract [t EL, ởpaıgéow], the forms that mathematical science deals with "by abstracting from their inherent matter" (Aristotle, De anima, 431b.13-17), and from that of Dionysius the Areopagite when he asks to be raised by thought to the superessential "through the aphairesis [apaípeoç] of all beings." Thus when speaking of "abstraction" we must distinguish the problem of the generation of abstract ideas insofar as it involves that of universals, that of the existence or nonexistence of general objects, and that of the practice of abstractive negation in the diverse fields-logical, epistemological, theological-where it occurs. The broad range of the term "abstraction" is well illustrated by the modern English usage of the terms "abstracta" and "abstract entities," which are more or less synonymous with "universals," and whose extension includes …

the same thing develops experience; for a number of memories constitute a single experience. From experience again—i.e. from the universal now stabilized in its entirety within the soul, the one beside the many which is a single identity within them all-originate the skill of the craftsman and the knowledge of the man of science, skill in the sphere of coming to be and science in the sphere of being.
(trans. G.R.G. Mure, Posterior Analytics, II.919)
The second model is that of mathematical (chiefly geometrical abstraction, which consists not in "bring-ing together" (epagein [náyeıv]) similar elements and grouping them under a single concept, but in "stripping" (aphaireisthai [acarpzĩo0a1]) the image or representation of a thing of its individualizing characteristics (essentially material).
The conflict between these two models is a structural given, a major tendency in Aristotelianism, whose effects made themselves felt throughout the Middle Ages. Philosophers have never ceased to vacillate between the registration of resemblances (the basis of "resemblance nominalism") and the neutralization of individualizing characteristics that are not pertinent for the type, though some have sought to find unlikely compromises between these poles.
• See Box 1.
II. The Peripatetic Theory of Aphairesis and Its Medieval Extensions: "Abstractionism"
A. The classification of the sciences
In his treatise De caelo (III.$1.299a 15-17), Aristotle uses the term "abstraction" to distinguish between "mathematical objects" (ta ex aphaireseôs [tà ₺E, ‹paigéœewç], lit. "proceeding
from a subtraction") and "physical objects" (ta ek prostheseôs [tà En nooPowç], lit. "proceeding from an addition"). None-theless, it is only in De anima (III.S7.431b.12-16) that Aristotle explains how the intellect conceives abstractions:
As for so-called "abstractions" (ta en aphairesei lego-mena [tà Ẻv paıgéder deyóueva]), the intellect thinks
of them as one would think of the snub-nosed (simon [oluv]: qua snub-n…

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Jul 10

Somewhat unnerving wrong number email

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Jul 9

Solidarity sticker in the mail today from @luaz.bsky.social

Long arm stapler captioned “I only got into zines for the money”

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Jun 5

From @longformmath.bsky.social’s *Proofs*

area inside the hypotenuse Homer Simpson below is equal to the sum of the areas inside the other two Homer Simpsons

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 31

More new poems! In The Fortnightly Review open.substack.com/pub/fortnigh...

Is time pretty?
Is deep feeling cute.
Do you find eternal justice
interesting.
Is the truth hot.

The counter you walk up to
comes up to your nose.
You walk away and come back
and now it's a good height
to lean on with your hands.
You look behind the counter
and there are dozens of people
staring up at you, surprised.

Raindrops of the sun
give their kind of life
and the light and heat
of water in the air
carry a message—
*understand*

You stand at the top of the key,
aim,
and follow through. Then
you go get the ball
and do it again.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 28

What if Bob was one of us

Joan Osborne sings the songs of Nob Dylan tomorrow night in Montclair if that is something you might enjoy

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 28

From *Brickworks* by @russellcarisse.bsky.social

Random Stone.7.Lewis-pins

Lewis, inclined, leaning, straining, reposed
On knee with elbow, head cocked and shouing
Over percussions of the hammer-drill,
"Y' see, after finding the centre mass
The rest is apoditic ‘ts all friction,"
With bit drove deep, slanting away from ninety,
He shifts his feet, and in a single motion
Repositions across the stone's middle,
And began again, "ts in the angle,
In which the pins — compared to the choker,
Needs to be equal, unless the approach
Hast'a be crooked, like couping on gables,
Then belts come in play" pausing to blow out
Elliptic mouthes before the pins were fit.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 24

Ok, got to get going. Did I show you these yet

Megosztom a képernyőmet.
I'm sharing my screen.

jó, jobb, legjobb
good, better, best

Ez egy nagyon régi, fekete-
fehér fénykép.
This is a very old black and white photo.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 24

My new book

SORRY, GOD
JORDAN DAVIS

Hand typed by @sider0xylon.bsky.social @russellcarisse.bsky.social

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 24

Here we go

ACTUARIES AND ACTUARIAL SCIENCE
BY HARALD CRAMER, D.SC., F.I.A.
Corresponding Member
[A talk delivered to the Institute 14 January 1963]
May I begin by giving you some brief recollections of my earliest connexions with the Institute of Actuaries and its members.
About forty years ago, during a short stay in London, I went to see Ralph Todhunter, who was then Editor of the fournal of the Institute.
When I told him that I was interested in statistical theory, he sent me on to William Elderton. Elderton received me with his usual kindness, and this was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. I am happy and proud to have been a friend of this great actuary and distinguished personality, whom I am sure that we all deeply miss today.
Some years afterwards, in 1927, I went to the International Actuarial Congress in London. In the course of a conversation with one of the older members of the Institute, I may have stressed my youthful theoretical interests a little too much, because he remarked: In this country, we look upon an actuary as of no value if he is not a practical business man.' I certainly felt that I lacked something in this respect, and did my best to improve. It is possible that I succeeded, at least superficially, as the following little incident may show.
In due course, I attended the Centenary of the Institute in 1948, a delightful and unforgettable chain of events, social and scientific, charmingly conducted by the President, Sir Andrew Rowell. In the

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 18

Harryette Mullen

Would have said this purple clustered flower
looks like a burst of fireworks, but of course it's
the fireworks that imitate the flower.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 11

And another: June 14–17, 2026: Live orchestral recording sessions with professional video production, followed by two final concerts in Szeged, Hungary. The fee is €22 per minute of podium time with the orchestra, with a minimum of 50 minutes.

SEBASTIAN
LANG-LESSING
GENERAL MUSIC DIRECTOR
THEATER HAGEN
14.-17.626
MASTER CLASS & CONCERT
SZEGED • HUNGARY
INTERNATIONAL
master class
FOR ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING
HUNGARIAN NATIONAL
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SZEGED
ONLINE PREPARATION: 10-12 JUNE

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 3

The Cake Car

THE CAKE CAR
On weekday afternoons from two to five
and weekends in the fall
the third car from the front
on every westbound train
serves cake.

Cake with white sprinkles
and best friends
constantly licking it.
It's the most disgusting thing you ever saw!
The cake car.

I make a point of taking
the first train after five
to avoid hearing the children discuss whom they'd like to kill.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 1

Yesterday’s fortune cookie (or the day before’s)

Take time to relax, especially when you don't have time for it.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· May 1

Poetry month over — poem keep showing up anyway — new one by me in Bayou Review

ALEINU
Jordan Davis

I want a certain feeling
when I dive into a book
and that's on me—

to know I'm with someone
who notices and feels,
and lifts their head now and then.

It's a race, erased,
the competition banished
by the naming of a winner,

predictor of animatronic
simulation time. Lifelike.
A mechanical Turk.

Give me the mistakes,
they'll do. Or overpower
me with brilliance—

I like that, too.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 30

Wrong number email vomit 🤮

Republicans are already backing it!
Their plan is sickening: They want to wait until after the midterms, urge President Trump to "declare victory," and hand out amnesty to millions of illegals to do a favor for their corporate donors.
We voted for MORE deportations.
Not amnesty.
FIGHT BACK >>
If the House falls, the Senate is our absolute last line of defense.
At the Senate Conservatives Fund, we've vetted the best of the best—a slate of true MAGA warriors who are pro-Life, pro-border security, America First, and amnesty never.
Let's get them elected, send back-up to our conservative champions, and

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 29

chaudierebooks.blogspot.com/2026/04/nati...

Then the sorrow
comes filling up the streets
and stays there

everyone looking out the window
then closing the curtains
for good

You get to the old city
and find a pensione
with large wooden shutters

and a smell of cloves
*

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 29

Serendipity, the gritty reboot

2 Reposted by Ben Carlos Thypin
Stephen Bush• @stephenkb.bs... • 2h
© Bluesky Elder
I think it's really underappreciated that a large chunk of people across the world are everyday being served images of the world's worst atrocities, essentially live as they happen, in ways previously only experienced by people on the frontline, who have historically had years of trauma as a result.
• 42
23 265
968
.. • .
3 Reposted by Jez
Splendid Hobo @splendidhobo.... • 10h
Buddha: The secret to happiness is to be fully present in the now
Me: Pass
• 2
¿ 24
66
冂
~
•••

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 17

Hmm

Crude flowchart describing “seeking” behavior on social media - not seeing in this diagram how it might work out well

Check notifications. If something, engage, feel hopeful temporarily, and begin again.

If nothing, feel sadder and begin again.

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 17

All time huh score on the wrong number email leaderboard

Taste Summer While It Lasts-New Utz Flavors Are Here Inbox
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Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 12

A translation of Pentti Saarikoski by Anselm Hollo

THE SPRUCES

spruces,
under the spruces
small spruces listening to the big ones

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 12

Speaking of which, there’s a launch party for the new Bayou Review on Thursday, 2:30 central time

The Bayou Review
Online
Launch Party
Join us
for the launch of The Bayou Review Spring 2026 issue
Thursday, April 16, 2026 @ 2:30 PM

QR code in image

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Apr 7

Something I can’t stop thinking about is Larry David’s explanation of the name of his show

^ Premise
Larry David has explained the show's name in TV interviews as reflecting his perception that many people seem to live their lives projecting false enthusiasm, which he believes is used to imply that
"they are better than you". This conflicts with his dry style. The title also urges the audience not to expect too much from the show; at the time of the premiere, David wanted to lower expectations after his earlier success in the entertainment industry.?]

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Mar 31

Pink, pink, pink, pink

Oh, it’s Nick Drake’s song about the end of the world, that’s all

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Mar 25

Pentti Saarikoski, tr. Anselm Hollo

Go to the lakeshore, go,
throw in a feather and a stone

the stone floats

it is the day your son comes home

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Mar 23

Space cats!

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Mar 22

There’s so much to turn over in this poem of J-T’s

Things take time, and stutt costs money.
Being married to you isn't the same as being married to me.
You've confused a sense of impending doom with a sense of direction,
what you said lost in the rumble of a passing mobile document shredder.
Nobody can make you pray.
You pick the scale of your augury and you stick to it.
Strange and wonderful to see a bird fly, meaning something.
The book you grew up with, as understood by
the people you grew up with -
at right angles to what you want. Your spirit akimbo.
The composition is fine, but there is no love of paint.
Simultaneity is not a line but a shadow cast by a more complex shape.
I assume you are in less pain than I am.
This is what we have
in common.
I hate chain link,
<

Jordan Davis@jordandavis· Mar 20

John Levy, from *Vast Spaces*

John Levy, Vast Spaces (above/ground, 2026)

Sky
for John Phillips
The turkey buzzard that circled above me twice this morning had beautiful white on the underside of its black wings and a vividly red beak and if it had been me up there I know I would've loved gliding like that, not having to move my wings and not caring about the old man below me looking up as if in the church without a roof that I'd never enter.