In 1914 Gertrude Stein published her first prose text „Tender Buttons“. It contains three parts. The title „Peeled pencil, choke“ is derived from the first part called „Objects“. As a friend of Pablo Picasso Gertrude Stein once called these diverse objects portraying textes, still life.

The text from„Peeled pencil, choke“ is so brief as the title itself. It is called „Rub her coke“.

Mrs. Stein always recommended to read her writings aloud. There is a difference whether to speak „Rub her coke“ slow or fast. When spoken too fast the sense will change. When spoken still faster, the words „rub“ and „her“ will be closer.They become the new word „rubber“. And when speaking fast is it difficult to find out whether „coke“ is calling „cock“ or „coat“.

„Rub“ and „her“ and „coke“ contain percussive qualities. „Rub“ is much harder than „her“ but softer than „coke“. „Coke“ could correspond to an intensive footstep on the floor, „rub“ to a banging clap and „her“ to a beat on the chest.

And another thing becomes clear. The reader reading aloud ( in this case a multivoiced choir of loud reading readers) is a bodily active one, a percussive moving reader itself. He reads with hands and feet, or in other words he „wrest“ from the text qualities in a way as if would being in a quarry of language which must be open.