OnPoems

ThepoemsthatPatersonwritestouchedme-linessynchronouslyflashedonthescreenwhenhecreatesinseveralfixedlocales,say,thebasement,thebusbeforedepartingandthebenchnearwaterfalls,whereheoftentakesawalk.Poemswere-inhandwrittenforms-claimingownershipofPaterson-the“poet”andofJimJarmusch-thedirector/auteur(somepoemswerewrittenbyJarmuschhimself,likethewaterfalls).Ifoundonepoemintriguingforitsbreakswiththeaforesaidsynchronicity.ItappearedonPaterson’swaytohome;butthecontentwentasfollows,“I’minthehouse…/mylegsrunupthestairsandoutthedoor/mytophalfherewriting.”Aso-called“horizontalmontage”seemstobemorefaithfultotheoriginalpoem.CatherineBreillatonceemployedsuchstrategyin“Romance”toshotthetophalfofman-womangracefullytalkingwhiletheirlowerhalfhavingsex.ThedesynchronybetweenthepoemanditsvisualrepresentationinthisfilmsomehowforegroundsPaterson’sanxietyvis-à-vishisbody,hisidentity.Patersononcemovedblithelybetweentheidentitiesofpoetandbusdriver,likehisliteraryidolWilliamCarlosWilliams.Buthegraduallyfounddifficultinbalancing,whichisself-evidentashewasinterruptedbyhisIndiancolleagueintheworkplaceandhiswifeathome(theIndianfellowhadknockedonthebuswindowwhenhewaswritingforfivetimeswhilethewifefreelyenteredthebasementwherehecreates).Asthebodilyseparationinabove-mentionedpoem,Patersonexperiencedthesameinperceivinghisidentity(canbusdriverandpoetcoexist?)anditfurtherculminateswhenthebulldogtorehisnotebook.Theoneandonly“material”whichverifyhis“poet”identitytherebyvanished.AsDeleuzeaffirms“consciousnessitselfcanbecomeaviablefactonlyinthematerialembodimentofsigns.”Thematerialembodimentofsigns,anewnotebookisgiventhroughaJapaneseliterarylovertoPatersoninthenearendofthefilm,thankstothekind-hearteddirector.Hewillkeepwriting,I“optimistically”believed.