Friday, January 22, 2010

the duke knew that samantha was just teasing

to begin at the beginning click here

for previous entry, click here

additional dialogue by allen toussaint, j t "funny paper" smith, merline "the yas yas girl" johnson, and sergio leone



"beautiful, isn't she?"




"haven't we been over this before? didn't we just have this conversation?
the duke put his hand on samantha's arm and steered her away from the center of the party to the little coffee table in front of the french windows. after samantha had made herself comfortable on the low divan, or maybe it was the high settee, they resumed their conversation in a more amiable manner.




in the center of the party, near the bar, harry and jake continued their heated argument.




"we sit here in club chairs, while a few hundred yards away, murder is being done for pennies - for a few grains of opium."
"but we aren't sitting in club chairs, harry, we are standing at the bar at the duke of r------------'s monthly get together, getting trashed."



"that's true, that's true. a great distinction. you know, i think i've had too much to drink."
"me too. let's get some fresh air."
harry looked around. "is there any?"



"let's get some outside air. outside."
"that's where the air is,"
samantha fingered the little green pincushion doll with the hong kong eyes and the istanbul hair as she watched harry and jake make their way with surprising resolve and singlemindedness to the windows behind her. she kept her eyes averted as they passed directly behind her.




"look at this one." the duke picked up another little doll, a red one with white eyes and the blue uniform of one of alexander i's hussars. it held a golden baton in one hand and a pair of gardener's shears in the other.



"a little elaborate for my taste," samantha murmured politely. "but it must have a history behind it."




"maybe your drink has cooled off."
outside of hundreds of dead men she is waiting for you polyethylene
"he shot that no good hoss." "she's waiting for you upstairs."
"this isn't a half bad party."
"but it's the duke of r----------'s. it should be good."




"there you go again - betraying your enslavement to the culture of expectation."
harry breathed the outside air. "it's not that fresh." he told jake.
jake took out his trusty old .45. it had been weighing him down all night.
harry took out his brand new silver plated .357 that his grandmother had given him on her death bed. it had the initials "p e" engraved on it. nobody knew what they meant.



"let's do it.'
jake nodded. "it's time."
piranhas




'how much?"
"but the woman is a saint."




of hundreds of dead men worn with the heels packing company
"he shot that no good hoss."
harry went around to the right, jake to the left. there was no breeze.
outside




"that's the first time i've heard the word saint used without irony since - since - "
"but the age of irony is over."
outside forever
"he shot that no good hoss."
in the hallway she's waiting for you hundreds of dead men she's waiting for you




"i've only got fifteen.'
"fifteen what? and you will have to speak louder.''
the gray carpet forever outside



'what i've got is worth more than fifteen."
in the hallway the white fog
'there is no history behind it at all. one of the maids made it this morning. i thought it had a little air about it."




"the maids have time to make dolls? what would the old duchess, your grandmother, have thought of that?"
"well, with the labor saving devices they have these days -"
"you allow your servants to use labor saving devices?"
the duke knew that samantha was just teasing and he smiled.




'if you only knew how sore my legs get."
the gray carpet the gray carpet forever in the hallway worn with the heels the white fog
"he shot that no good hoss"
the jockeys heard the shots and came running.




"you want to play?" the maid - the one who had made the hussar doll - and the young marquis were playing a video game in one of the upstairs bedrooms.
"no, it's all i did for twenty years in prison." the maid's son was seated in the old duchess's favorite armchair, which had been moved upstairs on her recent demise.



'a sepoy is more loyal than an irishman at any rate,"
"at any rate."
jake looked around the corner. it began to rain. but not, he noticed, at the far corner of the house, which harry would be coming around. harry had always had all the luck, especially with gloria and ever since gloria.
it started to rain harder. with his trusty old .45 held at his




the gray carpet of hundreds of dead men piranhas polyester
"you were in prison for twenty years?" the young marquis asked jacques.
"yes.'
"and all you did was play video games?




"when i wasn't working in the kitchen, yes."
two shots rang out in the white hall on the gray carpet in the rain on the far corner
"if i could pick a few winners i'd be all right."
worn with the heels the white fog in the hallway
"how many men did you kill in prison?"
"none, it wasn't a movie."



"harry the horse and jake the snake. a couple of right villains."
"actually sir i think they are - were - harry the haberdasher and jake the bricklayer - if you don't mind my saying so, sir."
two shots rang out piranhas on easter island in pursuit of a



"well, it's all the same now anyway, innit?"
"we watched the same movies you did."
"did ypu know these gentlemen, sir?"
"yes. i did."




'i believe they were harry the haberdasher and jake the bricklayer - a pair of notorious malefactors."
"as a matter of fact they were harold anderson, who owned a chain of home appliance stores in colorado and new mexico, and jackson johnson, the owner and managing partner of a fuel cell business in haverford, pennsylvania. i've known them both for twenty-five years."
"how many times did you have totally hot man sex with the other inmates?"




"never."
"liar liar pants on fire."
"rude little devil, isn't he?" jacques asked his mother.
"he is a marquis."
"that's no excuse for bad manners."
"what do they teach these kids these days?"
"ah, you were well served to be safe in prison, mon enfant."



"we'll sort it all out at headquarters, sir."



"we watched the same movies you did."







next

Sunday, October 25, 2009

on this silent planet the blue rain tries to speak

to begin at the beginning click here

for previous entry, click here






wighat
"what are these men doing here?"
that will never melt in a puddle the last star that will never fade eyes
"lay on with a will, bosun."
"stop that noise, please stop that infernal noise."
a wrinkled foot in a puddle
"not so fast, captain. we've had just about enough of your bon mots."
"i'm only one man, judge."



that will never fade
"these are good men, sir."
"certainly i'll run her out of town, if you insist."
"in my day a man wasn't considered to be properly dreseed unless he had a good shine on his shoes."
the last star
"i wouldn't say that all the townsfolk were for it."



that will never melt like gray glaciers
"these are good men, captain."
"please stop that noise."



eyes sticking up
"you can butt out of my affiars."
"please, please shut up.'



a wrinkled foot sticking up the last star like gray glaciers
"but their day is over."
"these are good men, major"
that will never fade a wrinkled foot eyes the last star in a puddle sticking up in a puddle
'you've mentioned that a few times already.
"oh, step on it."



"it's easy to talk about the past, captain. the hard part is to see what's happening now."
im going to walk across the desert just to get in my right mind



something is not quite right here
eyes a wrinkled foot that will never fade then another
"babe ruth was one man in a million."
in the black gutters
"actually i prefer chow mein."
"a little problem has come up with the newspapers. and i'm counting on you, callahan, to deal with it."



"i'm not a diplomat.sir.'
then another in the black gutters a shot rang out



"no but you've got the gift. as no man has ever had the gift before"
they left last week
i know nothing
a shot rang out. shaking his umbrella a shot rang out
"he had a gun."
"well, we heard the shots, i imagine he did,"
a coffeee cup swirling rain shaking his umbrella steaming forever swirling rain



"they left last week."
"well in that case there's no hope of catching them, is there?"



a coffee cup permit me
"i wish i could help you."
in the black gutters swirling rain a shot rang out a coffee cup permit me
"you must believe me."
"i believe you, miss. i will do everything i can to help you."
in the black gutters permit me a coffee cup and softeyed miss luna shaking his umbrella steaming forever then another then another swirling rain



"they left last week. there is no way we can catch them."
lefty smiled shaking his umbrella
"by this time they're a thousand miles away."
and soft voiced miss luna and softly smiling miss luna steaming forever



"sales tax? what's that?"
and the dead man and the dead man the blue rain nothing is softer over the lovers



"you know this sales tax is a pain."
that's the most incredible story i've ever heard
nothing is softer and the dead man



"still, if they're willing to pay - "
"our love will get us off this island."
the sales tax is on it everywhere you go
the trees bend
"you see walter the gummint has put a tax of three cents on evvything and they call it the sales tax and you have to pay it"
"even on cigarettes?'
the trees bend the wind whistles
"even on cigarettes."



callahan across the street the rain in his face miss luna looks up
"that is the most outrageous thing i have ever heard of."
'i'll search for six months, for one thousand pounds sterling."
the golden lantern
"so - this is how the noble captain treats the weak and innocent. "



over the lovers the weak golden lantern nothing is softer over the lovers
'let us rest now, beloved."
nothing is softer
"no better than a common swindler."
the blue rain
"don't worry so, dearest, about getting off the island."
tried to speak tried to speak
"you have the tongue of a missionary."



then the rain the trees bend
"look - have you ever seen such a bird."



the blue rain over the lovers the golden lantern on this silent planet
"no better than a shoeshine boy from shanghai."
"you have the face of an angel."
on this silent planet on this silent planet than the rain the golden lantern and the dead man
'nature will care for us, as it cares for the bird."



"how i wish i could believe that."
"three cents sales tax on everything!'
tried to speak



"the bird is gone, flown away.
the trees bend the blue wind then the rain hurrying across grant avenue to the diner
"i've been on boats before."
on this silent planet than the rain tried to speak the trees bend with a knife there is always



"i have a proposition for you."
there is always with a knife a fat man no are on the move the ant-men
"skeptical as always, my dear friend."
already there is always no
"beautiful, isn't she?"
there is always yes
"i've never seen an ant man.'



the ant-men
a fat man
"well, you have a right to be skeptical."
with a knife
"and this island proposition - do you think i'm some boffer just out of school."
"i have another proposition for you."
"a great deal has been said."



yes a fat man no the ant-men
"a great deal has been said. very little has been done."
"i have an even better proposition. listen carefully."
"beautiful, isn't she?"
yes no



"how about making this great deal?"
already the ant-men with a knife are on the move yes
a great deal has been said beautiful isn't she always on the move i have a proposition for you already
"we sit here in club chairs, with iced drinks, having a civilized conversation."



a fat man are on the move
'i suppose you could say that."
"while a few hundred yards away, the real work of the world - murder -is being done.'
"aren't you being a bit melodramatic?"
miss luna looks up and sees callahan coming through the door with rain dripping off his hat



sales tax
the trees bend







next