Scene; pen and ink on paper (old math textbook page), 7.5 x 4.5 inches.
Seen or Heard, Lately:
x} My breath, this morning.
x} A syringe, on the sidewalk.
x} Some kid channelling Meatloaf -- the black trench coat and the black t-shirt and the black jeans and the headphones and that certain bemused corpulence, barreling along.
x} Sticky black midges. In clouds. In thousands. You walk through them and listen to the miniature hailstorm, pinging off your coat, off your skin. Then it's a straight line to a sink, and digging them out of your ears.
x} The Telephone Girl. First she was at one pay telephone -- and anyone who uses a phonebooth these days gets my attention -- and then she was at the next one, all in the course of my walk home the other night. Like she timewarped ahead of me. Both times she seemed scrambly and frantic with her big manilla envelope. But she still looked okay, and I thought she might even be middle class, until she turned away from the phone to talk to a guy who pulled up on a bicycle to light his cigarette, and then I saw her dental work. Ah yes -- it's really the dental work that separates the masses.
x} Slogan on the side of the school bus -- DRIVING YOUR FUTURE. I fucking hope not. These rotten kids are going to have enough to worry about, what with all the speed-feeding of information and wrong-choice disposable jobs and big lies and big reveals crumbling the brain every second week and houses that cost a million jillion dollars and never mind the cottage. The only person I want to be responsible for me is me. When I can no longer do that, you can bring out the firing squad.
x} The man who passed me on the sidewalk in that moving-wall way of the large and insane and leaned in to tell me to HAVE A NICE DAY. Why? Do I have to? Why would you phrase it as a command like that? What if I don't want to? What kind of play is that, anyway? Scene 1, Act 1: Everyone is having a very nice day. Oh, brilliant. That's something I want to see. What's next -- fucking kitty kats? Why not just say "I hope you have a good day" and be done with it? At least that leaves the receiver some room for day negotiation, for making the day into any 'good' thing he or she sees fit. Maybe my best 'good day' or even 'nice day' is chasing bushels of screaming cats down blind alleys with a flame thrower. Is that valid? Would you still wish me a nice day then?
*Not* Seen or Heard:
x} The decorative stone that C placed in the front yard. It looked like a leaf. I told her not to put it there, that it would only get stolen. No it won't, she said. You're so cynical about the neighbourhood.
Seen or Heard, Lately:
x} My breath, this morning.
x} A syringe, on the sidewalk.
x} Some kid channelling Meatloaf -- the black trench coat and the black t-shirt and the black jeans and the headphones and that certain bemused corpulence, barreling along.
x} Sticky black midges. In clouds. In thousands. You walk through them and listen to the miniature hailstorm, pinging off your coat, off your skin. Then it's a straight line to a sink, and digging them out of your ears.
x} The Telephone Girl. First she was at one pay telephone -- and anyone who uses a phonebooth these days gets my attention -- and then she was at the next one, all in the course of my walk home the other night. Like she timewarped ahead of me. Both times she seemed scrambly and frantic with her big manilla envelope. But she still looked okay, and I thought she might even be middle class, until she turned away from the phone to talk to a guy who pulled up on a bicycle to light his cigarette, and then I saw her dental work. Ah yes -- it's really the dental work that separates the masses.
x} Slogan on the side of the school bus -- DRIVING YOUR FUTURE. I fucking hope not. These rotten kids are going to have enough to worry about, what with all the speed-feeding of information and wrong-choice disposable jobs and big lies and big reveals crumbling the brain every second week and houses that cost a million jillion dollars and never mind the cottage. The only person I want to be responsible for me is me. When I can no longer do that, you can bring out the firing squad.
x} The man who passed me on the sidewalk in that moving-wall way of the large and insane and leaned in to tell me to HAVE A NICE DAY. Why? Do I have to? Why would you phrase it as a command like that? What if I don't want to? What kind of play is that, anyway? Scene 1, Act 1: Everyone is having a very nice day. Oh, brilliant. That's something I want to see. What's next -- fucking kitty kats? Why not just say "I hope you have a good day" and be done with it? At least that leaves the receiver some room for day negotiation, for making the day into any 'good' thing he or she sees fit. Maybe my best 'good day' or even 'nice day' is chasing bushels of screaming cats down blind alleys with a flame thrower. Is that valid? Would you still wish me a nice day then?
*Not* Seen or Heard:
x} The decorative stone that C placed in the front yard. It looked like a leaf. I told her not to put it there, that it would only get stolen. No it won't, she said. You're so cynical about the neighbourhood.
I love your observations. Oh, the glaring class differences of the grill. Have a frabjous day?
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ReplyDeletei like the kid channelling meatloaf the best.
ReplyDeletewhat kind of a day have you had?!
ReplyDeleteLike hearing about your observations. Gosh, what do I see around here? lots and lots of cat and dog poo, um, rubbish dumped on the street, flowers sprouting up amongst the urban concreted spaces, and I hear so many sirens - city life eh?!
One day you will come to UK and see an exhibition ;)
Amelia.x
I loved your acerbic observations, my husband always tells me to be careful when I leave the house..how did I get to be my age and seemingly intact if I didn't choose to care about my existence? I know he means well, like the other artists who instead of commiserating with me on rejection from shows tell me to cheer up and do more art..because someday it will happen for me! I want to run screaming from the room! Have a nice day..I will not be commanded to have a nice day..boy the teenager in me gets her back up and I have to bite my tongue before the back talk ensues! Oh and I don't even know where a pay phone is anymore..you are so right..if I do see someone using a pay phone I think "What?" I could be so snarky today because I am sick.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the way you write!!
ReplyDeletefunny enough - i saw somebody today using a pay phone!! it was just a second as i watched this man, on my way passing by, but instantly it created a sort of little story in my mind. a snapshot concerved in the memory. quite similar as yours with the lady which could have been middleclass until you saw her dental work. i didn't see the guys dental work, but his jacket said the same.
Too funny! I think like that...strange for a female probably. (minus the flame thrower cat killer part, even though I do not at all like when they get into your garden and do their business...Wear gloves people!) I do think someone will steal things I put out in the yard..that's why it's usually planted into the ground only.(Although if they ripped it out of the ground I wouldn't then be surprised) I found a butterfly shaped rock AND it's out THERE in the garden EXPOSED to all the Thieves, but I suppose I'll chance it. HAVE a NICE day...whatever that may mean to you.
ReplyDeleteDid the stone survive? i once planted some beautiful dahlias and pansies out front of our townhouse..I camee out in the morning and every single flower was gone, as well as the "dog shit bucket" we used to clean the yard...the buggers had used it to carry away my beautiful flowers. Bastards.
ReplyDeleteI hope today was as nice or as not nice a day as you saw fit to make or not make it. that sincerely cracked me up.
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