CHAPTER
3.1
ZANG
TUMB TUUM
An
excerpt from Zang Tumb
Tuum by the Futurist poet F.T. Marinetti
____________________________
Messina speed of
motor cars towards Catania
driver semi-sprawled
under enormous steering wheel
that
turns like a world skate skate on
the speeds washed from grass
unfolded
unfolded gardens beaches scenery
of Calabrian
mountains cone of Etna indigo
creek inlets
promontories exploding burning heat +
speed + ferocity
of tyres. dust carbon of the road
thirst thirst
of rubber cactus
very fast seated state of the
driver semi-sprawled in the
wheel
Saturn in the ring turn turn gain ground
to the diiiistant
blue nudge
of the craziest speeds
glug glug
glug of air
in ear-bottles
ventriloquist
wind
musical abandon of the
driver semi-sprawled
under the steering wheel grip
the pedal of the rumbling
organ
of the kilometres breathed
in a breath
breathed afar
push down again with right
foot
on accelerator distances +
1000
profundities + 300000 resistances
of the earth offering
itself
offering itself to the carrrressssing speeds pan-
pan-traak tatatraak
tung tung zang panache
STOP
(instinctive braking judddering agony
of the driver 1/3 of car 3
wheels strip peacefully blondnesses
forages ironies of 306 year
village
stupidity of the mountainous countryside
take my car through
landslides valleys
of Girgenti
embrace it in the arms of
its streams trees grass
correct draft proofs no no look
LOOK
at these proofs for
CLEANING my
BELOVED carburettor
_______________________________________
Translated by Ed Emery
Extracted from: THE BOOK OF
FIAT: Insurrection, insubordination, occupation and revolutionary politics
at the FIAT motor company – 1907-1982
Published: Red Notes / May Day Rooms
First published in 2020