closing her eyes again  she stared into the darkness that undulated stirred  simmered to boiling

                                                                                                       there was something there  beyond that film

                           daresay  a room   vault

suspended in her eyes

as if underwater

                   gazing up into the bluepurpling depth of the sea

a chamber

              trove

that collapses in on its origami-self

                                         dreams

did they seep from there  were the sharp architectures that could put her eyes out  forged there  were strangers she saw or conversed with

                          assembled there

rare times she knew someone

                                 were they kept there to play hideanseek

there  was   something

                           Present    Presence

which deepened

                   fell up

away

       then

disintegrated

dissolved

                softlysilvered

became?

            the siftingquivering veil

she cast her dreams on

0410,  Saturday,  19  8. 23

1251,  Monday,  4  11. 24

Youre the perfect lass to ask

Lass?

If you were younger Id say lassie

                                    Youre of Irish descent

Mmmk. 

         My red hair freckles give me away?

O’Toole  Kind of a dead ringer

she laughed deeply didnt cover her mouth   both attracted him

                                                                       Kind of.

Yah

       So you know wha circumcision is

Where’s this going?

                       Not the nurse?

The nurse

Yes.

Nah  Wha nurse

    She says, she works in a circumcision ward, pays not good but the tips are great.  Wah wah wahhh.

he laughed  high in his throat

                                  A comedian

Actually my Da. He toltha at the dinner table.

I like your old man

He’d have liked you.

he nodded

               her father contracted Trumpvirus  died                                                              

 

    Yes. breaking the silence  Yes I know circumcision. I know you.

I wasnt goin there

That’s out of character.

Lemme get this out anthen Ill get into character

                                                   If you have time

she rolled her wrist looked at her watch shook her head

                                                            Aww.     But I could make time.

that beautiful musical laughter again

he hadnt intended going there but  aww  wha the hell   he loved the constellations across her chest an breasts  naming them   everywhere

                                

So weve established circumcision

Yes.

Ever hear of hibernicised

    Couldn’t say could you spell it?

Of course  H I B E R N I C I S E D

she repeated the spelling

Correct

she repeated it again

                             No.   Could I guess?

made him smile

I’d guess, since you commenced with circumcision, freezing penis tips?

burst out laughingshe joined in

                                      Howdya get there

Hibernate. Freeze ‘em.

For wha purpose

I don’t know. I guessed.

                           What would you do with frozen penis tips? Or or or . . . hi- . error . cut tips too high?

Jesus

Then answer my question.

Thawem to nosh on later

Really?

Flesh

       Ever eat duck feet chicken feet  Flesh

Jesus.

Duelin Jesuses

Come now I’m on the clock. I wanna get there.  What is hibernicised?

To make Irish in character

I didn’t know that.

I hadnt either

Suppose we’ll not forget.

Nah

    Motel nearby.

Read my mind

1143,  Saturday,  2  11. 24

1034,  Monday,  4  11. 24

You say rumor monger I say rumour mongrel Lets call the whole thing off

facetiously You’re a funny guy. 

he knew the inflection Don mean to be

                                          Butwha youre spewin friend youve earned mongrel

You didn’t see the picture if you did you’d agree with me.

                                                               He shit in his pants.

He didnt

He did it was shot from behind while he was getting out of his golf cart. You could see a huge shit stain, was going down the back of his legs.

    Who took the photograph

I don’t know.

Where did you see it

A site on social media.

Wha site

I don’t know.

Static  not moving

A picture.

    Im callin horseshit callin fake callin photoshop youve seen deepfakes

                                                                               Phony  Rumour

Yeahwell, I believe this is true.

Anthas how rumours start spread are fed  ignorant people want to believe

                                                                                Step right up yes step right up Ladies and Gentlemen you wont believe your eyesHell the huckster hawker peddler monger mongrel  hes even tellinya wont believe your eyes

Pay a dime a quarter they believe their eyes

An the while ya bitch about political rumours against candidates we prefer

friend slowly shook his head the entire time he was speaking

                                                                No. No. No.   I believe the rumor is true.           

motherfucker ninetyninepointnine percent of the time he says I think

1729,  Sunday,  20  10. 24

0920,  Monday,  4  11. 24

Ella Fitzgerald/Louie Armstrong  Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oEmPP5dTM

. . . but you said you said . . without you.

I did

    What did you mean?

Wha I said

What you said was . . was . what’s . what’s the damn word

   Ambiguous

YES yes, that’s it.

                     Why ambiguous?

Plausible deniability

                       Watch enough politics ya learn things  Ive probably earned a Masters degree

    You’re being facetious . . aren’t you?

Am I

         Coudbe a doctorate

You getting out over your skis?

shaking his head I don think so

    Again.  What did you say?

Didnt I wrote it

They’re the same.

Writings commitment  Fixed   Unerasable

                                              I wouldnt have been able to do this  without you

I don’t know.

Not yours to know

                       I do

 

1234AM  0034,  Sunday,  3  11. 24

2039, Sunday,  3  11. 24

Harry Nilsson  Without You  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dnUv3DUP4E

Hold on hold on hold onwoudya  hold on one freakin minute

WHAT?

    Please  No reason for agitation

                                      Ya losin your mind

You losing yours?

Are you a child

Are you?

he laughed  what else is one supposed to do with that

Are you?

hed play his game

                     act not that the child acted  act like he couldnt remember from one minute to the next what transpired in the last five minutes

Am I wha

What do you mean what?

Exactly   Wha

                Your diatribe  Im listening   All ears

Wha was anticipating What you said

Nothing

    I got steamed up.

I get steamed up.

Why

Your default is defence

                         Im not attacking you  Im urgent  aggressive   Confrontational

But I aint attacking                               

It feels like it.

Cant tell you how to feel

                           To reiterate  Points I make  is to deliberate converse argue  not berate

It feels like it.

Correct me if Im wrongIm not

There. Again.  Pejoratively I’m not, you hear yourself?

    I hear you  An Im not wrong

                                    It must feel like tha because youre not confrontational

You strive  ya go along to get along

I don

Which is why I said  wha provoked this

                                            Its not interfering  when youre one interfering

339preferred,  Sunday,  20  10. 24

1257,  Sunday,  3  11. 24

O   For tha you deserve a latitude named after you

A latitude?

Doncha think

A latitude?  Like . . . on a globe . .

. . The globe the planet earth

I’m . .

. . A coordinate specifying north an south positions Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricornyoud be in the northern hemisphere

                 Coud also be a coordinate on another celestial body

Don let celestial go to your head

    Why do you say that?

Come on

           We were just discussing that

Latitude?

No

Then what?

What were we discussing

                            You are present when we talk . .

. . You talk

As do you

I can’t talk like you do.

No you cant  Im the idea guy

                                    We volley

We do not.

             Ratio . tenfifteen to one I’m able to return.

You exaggerate

I do not.

           Know tsunami?                                                 

Yes  Seiche Lake Superior Lake Eerie gave it a second E Lake Michigan   White horses white caps breaking waves

Jesus!  SEE?

Cant help myself

                   Tsunami  a lovely looking word  if a woman Id date her sight unseen  an audacious name for a female child

And on an on.

You know these things Im telling you

    No.

Im sorry  We agree its important to learn something new every day

We do.

Sowha

         Is one your quota

I didn’t say that.

I did    I did

                 Hence latitude   Northern latitude

Minimal  scope for freedom of thought

                                               Instead  Maybe a highway

429preferred,  Sunday,  20  10. 24

1043,  Sunday,  3  11. 24

Gordon Lightfoot  The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhA9pd51GIM

harp  she called it harping

                             Can’t we just talk without these wild tangents you entertain, go off on?

Wild tangents

Yes.

Hold on grrlcatch a breath  breathe    Yes a tad breathless

    You’re absolutely maddening.

An entertaining

                 Not something in your orbit which is why were friendswhy we didnt date

I wouldn’t date you even if you asked.

My apology  You are entertaining

You’re a smug sonofabitch.

I try

Who replies to defamation with I try?

Rhetorical  but Ill play

                           I also try  took a deep breath this is like beating a dead horse I try to give you wide latitude to keep up

Keep up?really?  Keep up.

                            Out the gate you’re gone leaving me bread crumbs.

Which you eventually follow

she shruggedmuttered Freakin’ maddening.

    Howeve . .

. . No.

Hear me out hear me out

                            However  We agree

It is important to learn something new every day

                                                       I do give you tha

she put her head in her hands

Odd confirmation

                      Ill take it

Now

she lifted her head

Looks heavy

I’m . . . I’m . . tired . . . defeated.

Youre not

Don’t tell me what I am. 

Excuse me

             Correct

Though you agree

 

    That I learn something new . .

. . From me

    From you.

I learn something new.

    An most unimaginable in your realm

                                              Why I wait for you to catchup

Wait. You call that waiting?

Wait with goadingopening your eyes  I incentivise

    Why the hell don’t you just use a bullwhip?

Don give me ideas  No

                          No    Then wed have to date

  

429preferred,  Sunday,  20  10. 24

0930,  Sunday,  3  11. 24

she tipped her head  like a bird  like she was listening underground

                                                                          You don’t think that’s an odd thing to say?

He says a lot of odd things.

I do

      Sometimes odd is just plain being honest

An aint tha something this world coud use a healthy fat dose of

                                                                    Like threescoop ice cream cones  I hear

I don eat ice cream

You don’t?

He doesn’t.

Are you from a different planet?

Am I alien Thawha youre askin

                                     Im leaningravitatin to wha works for me

Coudnt give two shits bout status quo pop culture social media

Got me a silo for one

                       On the beachfront  With a fishing pole

    Is he real?

I could pinch you.

Pinch me, why?

To confirm you’re conscious, here and now, listening to words I hear a couplethree times a month.

    Why I asked you here this weekend. Wanted you to hear what I gotta put up with.

Hes addicted

               Ask himbout our relationshipwatch brother goup over the moon

Would you quit that?

No

     We have a relationship Like you

Boy friend  Girl  friend

Agreed.  You’re my boy . friend.

He doesnt know tha

He better wrap his skull around it. I’m not jeopardizing a friendship.

Bro

he muttered something under his breath

What?

He says repeating me  I don know tha

Wanna shut your mouth?

Quit

       No hard feelings Im being honest

An often the truth is hard

We’re getting sidetracked. she said

We certainly are

Back to my question.

Cowboy  Remember her question

    Her question

I don’t.

You don think thas an odd thing to say

Verbatim.

           How this whole conversation began.

Right on girlie

                Ill answer you

No

    Callin him my human isnt odd

I rarely interact with others except for long telephone calls

                                                              Which is exactly how I want it to be

Socialising is exhausting

But you can do it.  he said

    As Ive toldya before

                           I did it when I was paid to do it

after 459preferred,  Sunday,  20  10. 24

1943,  Saturday,  2  11. 24

he woke

had to orient himself

                                                         yes . . .

blind date failed

saw her to her car

walked down the block to a wine bar that entering he inquired if they served hard liquor

they did

          The selection isn’t deep though.

before he could ask the hostess sharp girl handed him a wine/liquor menu

                                                                                aah Redbreast twentyone years

Bingo

Thank you Are there seats at a bar or  only quaint café tables

We have a bar.

Youre sharp kiddo Thank you

                                  tipped her a fiver

helped assuage his failed date

                                   happy though they didnt spin each other   virtually zip attraction

as he walked in a woman sitting at a table turned obliquely caught him in the thigh with her elbow even in the subdued light he saw she flushed

                          Oh, I'm terrible sorry, I apologize.

No harm no foul

                  Ifya fouled me Idve screamed bloody murder

a wonderful smile spread across her face

                                            she laughed gayly  didnt cover her mouth

then she laughed harder

                           You’ll excuse me, I didn’t see you coming.

at the chair to her right hooked on its back a white walking cane

Well shit he laughed with her  girl was rightup his alley

                                                             I was going to have a drink at the bar

Might I join you  Woudya care for a drink

she turned to the table deftly touched the stem of her glass

                                                                How am I doing?

Don know where you started Not two inches in the bowl inchanahaf

Is that a word?

A word

Inchanahaf.

I tend to slur words Swear  Havent had a drink this evenin

This is my first.

                 If an inchanahaf again that wonderful smile  don’t mind if I do.

Excellent What is it

Lannie, the bartender, knows, he surprises me this is my haunt.

Ya aspook

Ohmy laughter leapt from her throat

                                         Aspook?  You’re a card.

As my mother says

                      She also believes Im charming

But youd think a mother woud think that of her offspring her blood

                                                                       Now if only Id quit sayin fuck

She tolerates it because Im here favourite which is sayin something

One of nine

Thasaid the eldest

                     We were intimate The numbers siblings afterwards didnt have tha kind of time 

I was fortunate

She sounds like a peach.

Thank you On her best days she is

                                         Lannie Not Lennie Lennie Small   By George

Lannie.

Hate to get off on the wrong foot Ill be right back

                                                    he turned to walkaway then pause  spun on his heels

If I may youre a peach too

                               Im somewhat an expert

she chuckled

               Thank you.  Is that the extent of your expertise?

Sppose well find out

                                                                                          

                                                         yes . . . 

what time was it

he turned his head to the nightstand

a digital

wasnt to her benefit

maybe a throw for normalcy she couldnt thoroughly partake in

2:68

           maybe not

he watched

             was curious if it wasnt his continuum the non-stop no-reoccurring film of his living

life has edges

                 conscious  unconscious  REM  dreaming    subconscious imports

had no subconscious either

                              will be bummed when the reel the real   ran out

2:69

he rubbed his face

smelled his hands

                      delicious   her

Emmanuelle

              she told him it meant God is with us

if he is

         he smells damn good too

 

3:10

      there we go there we go

Emmanuelle stirred

he didnt want to disturb her

he turned on his shoulder she was on her left he spooned she sighed  was warm  her hand came up to her bicep he puts his on top of hers she wove her fingers between his

You’re awake?

Yes

Time?

Threeten

Threeten.

             I really like your slurs.

   Care to go again

Oooh.  Hee’s baack.   chuckled

Sometimes expert is only a really good jack-of-all-trades

                                            she laughed     I see.

after 459preferred,  Sunday,  20  10. 24

1319,  Saturday,  2  11. 24