How do I love mound? Let me count the ways..

1. Discrete events become a continuous mess

   1. "consent not to be a single being"
   2. opacity; unknown motions of the center

2. The spectrum of the intended and the unintended

3. Tension, balance, precarity

I also just love the sound of the word "mound," but these are three things that mounds represent that make them interesting to me. Some more:

Discrete events become a continuous mess

Mounds appear as things pile up, which is a step-by-step process (an individuated event), but the mound itself is not dependent on whether this grain of sand is placed exactly here or there.

When the mound is stable, things may be moving on the inside that we can't see. A lime or a leaf that gets placed on top of a mound disappears the next day; the mound still looks the same, but the additions have fallen into the opaque interior.

Mounds are evidence of a lot of stuff going on and symbolize how impossible it is to see everything that goes into a given moment, even though a shape can still be recognized.

The spectrum of the intended and the unintended

Some mounds are made on purpose, many just happen.

Some, even if intentional, are put in random places.

Tension, balance, precarity

I don't see balance as equilibrium, but as a tall mound. Balance is not simple, and it doesn't simplify things--it's not a singular point of stabilization. Balance is the complicated, everyday negotiation between different wills in the self.

Things that are held up by tension reflect back something about contradiction and relationships that feels like a glow in the mass of life that resonates with me.