The poem made flesh

I have previously scribbled my admiration for Philippe Petit, whose “To Reach the Clouds” I warmly recommend as it is the closest we have come towards removing poetry from the page, out of the grasp of formal linguistic constraints, of the written word itself, and making the implausible reach of the metaphor tangible and real.

Anyone familiar but confused by Human Greed and the principals and motivations behind wordless narratives may benefit from this manifestation of the phenomenon that comes from another angle.

Twin Tower Tightrope

Comments 3

  1. A perfect embodiment of the line between sanity and madness or, indeed, the distinction between the many passages we all go through in life. Would he have done it without the audience and film crew, though…?!

  2. I guess its no mistake that you use the words “line” and “between” here, Richo 🙂

    The film crew was actually one of his oldest friends, who was in on the coup from almost the start and was responsible for launching the arrow with the first passing of the wire. The audience below formed organically when his very few other companions began to look up and point. There was, of course, also a judiciously placed call to the press.

    Every performer in every discipline requires, in some sense, input from an audience.

    You know, I almost forgive this chap for being a juggler 😉

  3. “Line”? “Between”? I have absolutely no idea what you’re referring to, Cap’n!

    As for the film crew reference, I was just playing Devil’s advocate, really. Fair play to any man who’ll risk his life in doing something different or interesting. Especially if it has metaphors crawling all over it.

    With you completely on the juggler angle, though.

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