Saturday, June 15, 2013

WINDSOCK LAMENT

Gave gave it gave it a gave it a label gave it a sticker for acting as if it needs no further wondering wondering what wondering what that wondering wondering wondering what wondering what that wondering what that crap is hanging out of that wooden pole stretched across the fallen tree spread over a dark red dress crumpled over broken pale legs drizzled over sand and splinters.  Don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms and after especially after what you did he won't let go of it while he wants very much for you to let go of him don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms just a hint given a hint of the planet disappearing from beneath what has been determined as flat the tone of the voice just a hint given a hint of the planet disappearing from beneath a flat tone of voice keep it down remember that's all you will ever remember is to keep it down don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms and after especially after what you did he won't let go of it while he wants very much for you to let go of him don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms just a hint given a hint of the planet disappearing from what has been determined as flat your feet your feet are flat an air of speech an air of pressure an air of pressured speech presses its offensive on the air dead air not not good not good enough to be dead on arrival had to arrive had to show up flat squeezed out between the east and the west that meet on the bridge of the nose attempting to close over flat feet just a hint given a hint of the planet disappearing from under flat feet just a hint given a hint gave gave it gave it a gave it a label gave it a sticker for acting as if it needs no further wondering wondering what wondering what that wondering wondering wondering what wondering what that wondering what that crap is hanging out.

A smaller pond.

Where?

A smaller pond.  You need a smaller pond.

A smaller pond.  You need a vehicle to get to a smaller pond.

A smaller pond is what I'm talking about.

A vehicle is what I'm talking about.  One of my feet hurt.  I'd walk on to see which it is but I don't want to leave you behind or maybe I do.  I had worked on a speech for when we part company or company parts us.  Or it was an anecdote I found myself in the desert with some animal droppings.  

You found the anecdote by yourself in the desert?

I find myself in the desert with some animal droppings.  

It takes all kinds of droppings to find oneself.

I don't think I could identify whose droppings they were.  There were seeds in the dung probably narrative seeds.  Its when it comes to mind not unlike the time that fellow passing through on his way to some auction or execution was it when it comes to mind that his horse he came in on decides to take a dump.  Hard to concentrate on narrative seeds when you can't get the stench out of the anecdote.

Did you eventually find out?

Did I eventually find out what?

Did you eventually find out which foot hurt?

That's right.  I did make mention of my feet.  Funny how only a few sentences back can get themselves buried in the dark of the closet until someone presses on the clutter.  What a noise it makes not unlike the rattle of a skeleton.  Have you ever played the xylophone?

I think you mean the marimba.

I thought that's where people kept their boats parked.

That's a marina.

Marina?  Marina.  I once knew a woman named Marina.  And no she did not have a lot of others dock their boats around her.  Although I've always wondered why she never made our relationship a priority.

Probably a professional.

She did work in advertising.  People were always mistaking her for someone else.  Their need to be in the proximity of significance.

Is that what pulled you in?

No.  I ruled that out from the beginning.  Just didn't expect the end to follow so quickly.

I'm sorry.

Oh, that's all right.  Didn't expect another beginning to follow the end so quickly after that.

Another beginning?

Rather on and off.

Not unlike a fluorescent tube blinking.

That's precisely what was in my mind.

You don't say.  Quite a phenomenon when metaphors are shared.

I was being literal.  My brain blinks on and off.

As in the cinema?

Except it's in my skull.  I've spent most of my life in the dark.

Just what I thought.

No, that's just what I thought.

No, I mean I thought that looked like a store off in the distance and now that we've gotten closer it's obvious it has been burned to a crisp.

You need to work on your expectations.

There's an idea.  I could imagine a crater next time.

I wasn't suggesting in terms of destruction.

Does it matter?  It is not unlike a broken volume dial that you keep turning and turning failing to change how you're receiving things.  And and that wasn't her name at all.  It wasn't Marina.

What was she called?

What was she called?  She wasn't a name.  She was a phenomenon.  More a part of nature than I would ever be.  I have an anecdote where we took the car to the sea . . . 

To the sea?

To the seafood stand.  However . . . 

However?

However, I think we took the car, but it might have been after the car.

After the car?

And the brick wall.  So I think we took the train.

The train?

The bus.

You took the bus instead of the train.

Took the train to the bus to the seafood stand.

Picked up yourself some lobster?

Crab.  It would have been crab but this was after the seafood stand fell off the bridge.  Not just post-brick wall.  Remember.

Remember?

Remember that's all you will ever remember is to keep it down don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms and after especially after what you did he won't let go of it while he wants very much for you to let go of him don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms just a hint given a hint of the planet disappearing from what has been determined as flat your feet your feet are flat an air of speech an air of pressure an air of pressured speech presses its offensive on the air dead air not not good not good enough to be dead on arrival had to arrive had to show up flat squeezed out between the east and the west that meet on the bridge.  

On the bridge?

Of the nose.  Somewhat nasal that speech.  It was a speech after all and not an anecdote.

Was it anecdotal in any way?

Quite an audience.

Animate or inanimate?

Inanimate.  I complained about the ironies of their design features and begrudged them their not having a stake in the outcome.

A smaller pond.

Where?

A smaller pond.  You need a smaller pond.

When?

Thought it would be sooner rather than later what with there being less.

Why?

A smaller pond.  You need a smaller pond.

Remember that's all you will ever remember is to keep it down don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms and after especially after what you did he won't let go of it while he wants very much for you to let go of him don't try to lift him don't try to take him in your arms just a hint given a hint of the planet disappearing from what has been determined as flat your feet your feet are flat an air of speech an air of pressure an air of pressured speech presses its offensive on the air dead air not not good not good enough to be dead on arrival had to arrive had to show up flat squeezed out between the east and the west that meet on the bridge

of the nose.


- Max Stoltenberg





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