ida- gertrude stein

ida is ida because ida is ida

there is an ida and then there is an ida and then there is an ida

there are enough idas to make a crowd and enough idas to make a loneliness

ida is a woman and ida is a story and ida is a woman becoming a story because everyone keeps looking at her

a thing looked at is a different thing

a thing looked at again is another thing again

ida knows this and ida does not know this

reading ida is reading a mirror that has decided not to cooperate

the mirror gives a face and then another face and then the first face pretending not to be the first face

this is confusing and this is delightful and this is the same thing

i read ida and i lost ida

i lost ida and i found ida

i found ida and discovered there were more idas than before

a reader wants a woman

a reader gets a woman and a rumor and a reflection and a repetition

a reader gets getting

that is what ida is

it is not about finding out

it is about finding out that finding out does not help

the sentences walk and walk and walk

they circle

they return

they return so often that returning becomes arriving

the words say themselves and then say themselves saying themselves

this is exhausting

this is beautiful

this is exhausting because it is beautiful

ida is famous because ida is famous

ida is seen because ida is seen

ida becomes what is said about ida because so much is said about ida

a woman can disappear this way

a woman can multiply this way

gertrude stein knows this

gertrude stein laughs about this

gertrude stein turns the whole thing over and watches the pieces roll around

and i read it

and i wandered through it

and i did not always understand it

and understanding was not always the point

there is an ida

there is another ida

there is a reader looking for ida

there is a reader becoming ida

and by the end there is only the looking

and the looking

and the looking