Sunday, September 7, 2008

A Nagging Feeling


But sometimes I wonder which I prefer more: the certainty of an empty city on the brink of disintegration, or the streets full of colorful people all twisted to the tune of insecurity. It feels like a clear choice. You wake up in the morning, take a shower, finish your daily duties and responsibilities, and then meet your friends to relax with any of a list of mindless activities. Granted enough money and love, one should feel happy, but happiness is fleeting, and besides, money and love do not come easily. A lot of blood and guts for something you are much more likely to lose than keep. Moreover, there is this nagging feeling that once that buzzing sound strengthens, things develop in a different direction where one becomes nothing more than a static figurine on someone else’s chessboard. And then, of course, there is this thing about people turning into rocks…

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

A Brief Episode


Allen wakes up with photos spread across his desk. Is he still dreaming? A few deep breaths, “Probably no.” So, he stands up, stretches himself and looks in the mirror, which for a second swoons like the surface of a deep lake. “How long have I been out?” he asks himself, and then remembers – time has no importance. He quickly brushes his teeth and slaps cologne on his curly skin. Then, he grabs the photos – shots of a circus crime scene and an item found: a goat’s tongue – and leaves the apartment.

Wake Up Call



Weirdness ensues as the days collapse over each other. Corner shop sirens run a gutted buzz, waking up all rock people. What at first seems like annoyance, a doorbell that rings stubbornly at seven in the morning, becomes a life-changer, the reason to cough up the settled dust and start breathing again, the signal that transforms rock into flesh and bones. The clocks reset, street life slowly crawls towards normalcy. Ivan and Ivana, Alexander and Alexandra, beautiful as always, move about towards shops that are suddenly open, to buy groceries, make-up, newspapers, whatever, and the shop-keepers eyes wide open continue with their business as usual. Everybody ignores a certain bitter after taste of something being lost. The “What just happened?” moment happened a long time ago. This is everyday stuff now. The anchorman simply announces, “The day just started, and it is uncertain just when it will end.”