"What Is The Word" by Samuel Beckett

As I look back on the time I spent with Joe Chaikin, I rememer two occaisons on which Joe, having been asked to perform something, chose as his material this poem, written for him, by Samuel Beckett.

No small thing, to have a poem written for you by the man who is arguably the most important playwright of the 20th Century.

Joe would take each line of the text and allow it to rise up from deep inside, releasing it on little more than a whisper. Often his face would contort with effort, his own journey through aphasia literally a struggle to find the word.

This poem is hard to find. I'm not even sure if it's in print. So here for you, Beckett fans, the poem for Joe...

WHAT IS THE WORD
by
Samuel Beckett

(for Joe Chaikin)

folly-

folly for to-

for to-

what is the word-

folly from this-

all this-

folly from all this-

given-

folly given all this-

seeing-

folly seeing all this-

this-

what is the word-

this this-

this this here-

all this this here-

folly given all this-

seeing-

folly seeing all this this here-

for to-

what is the word-

see-

glimpse-

seem to glimpse-

need to seem to glimpse-

folly for to need to seem to glimpse-

what-

what is the word-

and where

folly for to need to seem to glimpse what where-

where-

what is the word-

there-over there-

away over there-

afar-

afar away over there-

afaint-

afaint afar away over there what-

what-

what is the word-

seing all this-

all this this-

all this this here-

folly for to see what-

glimpse-seem to glimpse-

need to seem to glimpse-

afaint afar away over there what-

folly for to need to sem to glimpse afaint afar

away over there what-

what-

what is the word-

what is the word