Stupid Chinese Sayings and Commentary 1

Wind in the cave;
Movement in stillness.
Power in silence.

So much snoring. I can’t tell Joey from Rumiko. When both fall silent, I rip a long fart in Alex’s face. He burrows closer to the bend in my knee.

At a conference

Ryan hadn’t seen Todd in two days and Laura had disappeared for nearly a week, ever since the last day of their interviews. Ryan spent the last full day in San Francisco by the pool, drinking beer and trying to beat his hangover he’d had since their second day in town, when he’d met up with his ex-girlfriend from the Peace Corps. Todd drank full-throttle with friends from Hawaii. Ryan took a taxi to the airport to catch their flight, assuming that Todd would find his own way. Laura showed up in a terrible state, coming down after two days of tripping on LSD. She nearly walked by Ryan in the boarding line, saw him and stumbled, then hung on to him while they waited to board. She and Ryan had exit row seats on the starboard side; Todd had seats two rows back but on the other side of the plane, a 747-400, a big one. Before take off the flight attendants checked that Ryan and Laura were comfortable “performing the duties” required of an exit row passenger. They nodded and JaLaura n fell asleep as soon as the attendant was gone. She slept all the way to Tokyo. Ten and a half hours, without a break. Ryan woke her up when they landed and asked if maybe she had anything with her, any drugs. She shook her head and staggered down the aisle of the plane but was steady and swagger-free going through customs and immigration.

A Mocha UCC blended coffee can

We keep our loose change in you and take you to the bank when you’ve done your job. We reach inside and lessen you when we want to buy beer, or machine popcorn, or top off a bill for a payment at the door. Watch out, or you’ll end up dented and outside, like your friends.

April 29, 2003

You were sunny, and we went iking near the house. We left at 9:34, hiked up high enough to see the house, then turned around. We stopped at a festival held at the car park at the base of the mountain and watched local people and Shinto priests fire walk over hot coals. After Rumiko had showered we went to Tsutaya to rend “Bad Company”. Rumiko bought books and we had lunch at McDonald’s. We both tried their new something-or-other burger. We had to ask what was on it because we couldn’t tell from the picture at the counter. We bought rods to hang outside the bedroom window, to hang futon from, and beer and cat food, too, at Musashi, and then came home. It was a windy day and the futon that Rumiko had hung up before we went hiking had blown down. We had curry for dinner, sat with the cat, watched most of the video, and went to bed around 10:00. I had disjointed dreams and woke up in a fright when the telephone started beeping, not ringing, but beeping after a heavy wind had slapped the curtain against the phone stand and knocked it over. I was sure my family was trying to call to say my father had died.

Going to Pieces

Pieces jumps on my keyboard and I say, “What you doing, pumpkin head?”, and she squeals five times in my face and rubs her cheek against the edge of the screen. She’s a silent movie. A lot came together and it’s doing fine. It’s pieces, for sure. Don’t you bite me! Quiet meow, small coughs.

For the Mizunashi

I’ll be old and lonely and sitting on a stump by the campground up past the second bridge, listening to you, wondering why rivers sound the same, hearing old friends, staring at old fires.

It never happened

We might as well have fucked
For all the people who thought we did.
Shows who your friends are, huh?
Care a little bit for you, and show it,
And suddenly my car is parked out front with the motor running and we’re inside fucking in your kitchen.
That’s what our friends would like to think, would like to have thought.
Nothing like it ever happened.
The closest was a morning I woke up early and stepped out on to the beach. We had coffee together, waiting for your other family to wake up. I did think about you then, more the situation than the fact. Coffee in the morning, on the beach, early, waiting for your husband and child to wake up.