Office Gnomics
nick-e melville
Acton Press (2006?)
14 pg., side-stapled

I have long appreciated nick-e melville’s playful deviations. In my own publications and in others, I have kept an eye out for his name and his signature wit. So I was happy when I recently received a copy of his new chapbook Office Gnomics (from the elusive Acton Press).

The collection is born from an employee’s manual that had the unfortunate luck of becoming melville’s plaything. In tone, it is reminiscent of the radical arts movements of the 60’s and 70’s; in form, it is the direct descendent of Ron Johnson and Mike Koshkin. But this is no RADI OS. It is far more subversive, far more piercing, far more critical. And a much quicker read, at that.

Melville confronts the downside of corporate “wage slavery” (term du jour amongst progressives these days) and explores the fundamentally repressive and exploitive nature of 8 to 5 office life. He cracks bitterly “dare/ taking no breaks” and ribs management here and there.

More than a “satirical reading between the lines” (Acton’s back cover description), Office Gnomics is incredibly – and surprisingly – erotic. It is sex-charged from start to finish. At one point, melville urges the reader to: “keep a steady pace/ don’t change it/ finger/ your muse/ let legs dangle/ at eye level.” Another poem lends readers instructions for giving fellatio. It starts: “can you maintain it/ and begin to/ ache/ yes.”

Accompanying melville’s sharp words are found images from the pages of the employee’s manual. Most of them are altered, faces erased and hand positions manipulated. On whole, the simple visuals enhance the project. Stark and ghostly, they contrast nicely with the sometimes tangled verse. By the end, however, they are more than a little repetitious.

Office Gnomics provides no means for contacting Acton Press, but melville’s e-mail address is scattered across the Internet. This down-n-dirty chap is certainly worth some quick Googling. Get to it.


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