In the East there was an
explosive WHAP
followed by a faint sigh
an elongated whine a simmering echo
then a suddenShakePopBrace Seizure
in the blue distance a shelf pointed
its nose to the sky and rose up up Upright
it moved towards him a fast
wave slithering across the earth
a flat towering silver sheen
a flat towering silver sheen
shimmering wrapping the horizon
running before it he could feel its concussion in his guts
a gust
running before it he could feel its concussion in his guts
a gust
the flatland disappeared shallowed
whole
a warm pale mist and spattered
mud tickled his patient face
then the shelf stopped
stood
fast
its sheening face ran up into a
dark turmoil of clouds and heaven a
colored purple rose hue twisting up
into where it vanished
into where it vanished
since it didnt come to him
he
walked towards it
it appeared tethered
at the sharp serrated edge where it joined the brilliant green swathe before him
still swaying from the initial GASP
and onrush
at the sharp serrated edge where it joined the brilliant green swathe before him
still swaying from the initial GASP
and onrush
nearing its dull reflecting face
he realised he could see inside of it
a backlit luminescence segregated into long irregular honeycombed chambers rising in atmosphere separated from his
a storied superstructure
as if built by insects
its parceled walls excreted by some biologic nature
occasionally moving among its chambers
those he could see were
jet black figures
they didnt appear clothed
fitted rather by
carbon-fiber or an extruded carapace
moving independent they often wandered over to the face of the tall
chambered horizon
seeming to peer out
vacant unimpressed
he turned around to see what they
might be looking at and realised almost
nauseated where he wound his way through sheaves of broad grass they fingered and brushed at his throat and
chin he left a telltale thin black
thread where he walked
had the earth he stood on not
swelled up and taken a modest altitude where the junction of the fields edge and
the vertical plane met he wouldnt have recognised he had betrayed himself
as he had walked forward towards
the monolith he saw the plants had changed they had become fabric tendrils a keener cellulose than the simple veined
grasses they had been
he didnt realise it then or even
thought about the grass or the now hardcrusted ground as he walked
he was mesmerised by the suddenApproaching luminous plane
he was mesmerised by the suddenApproaching luminous plane
the black figures dawdling at its
face held and manipulated tablets in their hands(?) rubbed or pointed at them with their
fingers(?)
suddenlyhe squatted
suddenlyhe squatted
a new sense devoutly separate from thinking
a figure was walking up to the translucent material directly across from him
a figure was walking up to the translucent material directly across from him
looking up at it
it was opened at its neck(?) its interior flesh(?) it seemed dappled by pindotted phosphorescence he would have attributed to marine cephalopods a vapor emanated from its back(?) and head(?) rising straight up uninhibited by any currents of atmosphere within if there were any
it was opened at its neck(?) its interior flesh(?) it seemed dappled by pindotted phosphorescence he would have attributed to marine cephalopods a vapor emanated from its back(?) and head(?) rising straight up uninhibited by any currents of atmosphere within if there were any
he heard faint clicking although he couldnt recognise if the sound
was without with him or from inside with it
the tablet it held in its hand(?)
throbbed and strobed colored lights which devised its shadow to the ceiling above
it
the tablet threw quivers of light at the surface of the plane between them
the tablet threw quivers of light at the surface of the plane between them
he didnt touch it
when he held out the flat of his
hand towards it he could feel prescient vibrations
looking down at his feet where he
suspected a joint between it and the earth might appear there wasnt
and for many centimeters away from its face the ground was denuded scorched
and blackened
the figure inside stooped
it set the tablet down on the
bottom of the cell
when it stood again it retreated
into the chamber its resultant movement without the tablet seemed hobbled or blind
he didnt stand again until his
knees screamed and was troubled when he
did
there were various lights of
fixed apertures or diameters emanating from the tablet and they swept in
tender unison one hundred and eighty degrees left and right
diminished for whatever reason from sweeping in an entire circle
diminished for whatever reason from sweeping in an entire circle
that space which wasnt swept was between
him and the face of the plane
unless what swept him wasnt
visible to his eyes
the figure did not return
he did not retreat
as night fell it was not
announced or preceded by the call of evening birds or the intimate sound of
insects
it was silent
sterile
sometime well before dawn during the deepest of night the lights quit
sweeping
their rays shortened and
shortened until they congealed onto the face of the tablet in susurrating bubbles maintaining
a low boil as a syrup might simmer
a low boil as a syrup might simmer
their colors continued to emanate
blinked reptilian
its monotony and the day
exhausted him
his eyes fell shut
he struggled to wake himself
tried to make himself fearful
he failed
his animal needed rest
slowly he took to his knees
his knees took him to his side
he slept
nothing had wakened him
his eyelids peeled back
the sun was high late morning probably approaching noon
he had rolled onto his back as he
slept
he had lain with his head near
the upturned shelf
that was no longer there
if it had receded
it was not dragged
it seemed it simply ceased to be
the green land ran to the East
the grass wasnt tall as when he
had come
the black thread that followed
him wasnt evident either
still
there were no birds or animals or
insects
the sky was spacious unscratched
deeply blue and cloudless
in the grass before him was a
riot of vines interrupted by pumpkins gourds and textured melons heavy
crushing whatever they laid on
crushing whatever they laid on
a slight breeze washed across the
land
it didnt smell of
anything
he stood
he realised he couldnt ascertain
any direction until the sun began to descend
the land was flat
there were no landmarks
he might have assessed he was
lost
but youd have to know where you
were going before you could say so
unmistakably
he was somewhere
Thursday night
Friday, 1 10.
15
2003, Monday, 12 10. 15
2003, Monday, 12 10. 15
