Jackson Mac Low

Friends’ Contributions in Memoriam:

Robert Vas Dias

How to Save Someone
Who’s Hanging from a Cliff
[Stage 3]

In Memoriam Jackson Mac Low 1922-2004

Be careful when grabbing clothes,
for clammy palms....
With one hand, tell him to
conserve as much energy
near where he is hanging.
Conserve as much energy!
At least one of the victims
stand on a surface.
Have the victim climb as
solid footing. Tell him to
stand on a surface that you are sure will
pants (this is no time) – a large boulder, a firm ledge
if you have solid footing. If you are not safe
you may pull him to safety: pull!
Stand on a surface to help you,
solid footing to help you,
hands to clasp, have the victim climb
as if you have solid footing. Tell him to…
that he needs to hold very still,
that you are sure will,
or a live tree. At the bottom of the cliff
if the victim is within reach, a coat, a harness
or a live tree – they
dry your hands – they
try to stay relaxed near where he is hanging
with one hand. Pulling a –
pull him to safety, a large boulder, a firm ledge
if you have solid footing, pulling a
(both end up, that you are sure) will,
anything he is wearing, use both:
that he needs to hold very still, as possible.
Panic is not an option. Have the victim climb as
hands to clasp out. If possible, you of adrenaline
pumping through your veins, pulling hands to clasp.
As possible, even his hair will suffice
at the bottom of the cliff.
If you have solid footing, find.

Text from David and Joe Borgenicht, The Action Hero’s Handbook, London, 2002, selection reprinted in The Daily Telegraph, 26 Dec., 2002, and subjected to chance procedure dictated by the spinning of a roulette wheel (“0” = free choice) in three stages. In Stage 1, each line was numbered sequentially and ordered according to the number that came up. Length of lines was governed by width of the newspaper column. In Stage 2, the treated version’s lines were divided into two at naturally occurring points, i.e., syntactical units, cæsuras, etc., each of the two halves having the same number; the roulette wheel was then spun twice, once for the first half and once for the second, resulting in two different halves (or not, as chance would have it) combined into a new line. In Stage 3, punctuation was introduced, a few anomalies were ironed out, and some lines were re-divided. No words were added.

Robert Vas Dias