copyright © 2003 John Shirley
"pacific"
by
John Shirley
Lights (preferably a blue wash) come up on the speaker, who should come across as half-man and half-ghost...not completely alive, but still very aware.
oceanic
heavy liquid breathing controlled
by that celestial mirror
of the sun; a
dark silhouette against the
blue glass sky, he
walks along the beach,
as though to worship
nature as a dim
reflection of the human
psyche, and half-buries
his lantern in the
coastal sands. Buoy whistles
whisper, "of denial...in
denial…" voices steeped in
mournful, sinister beauty. He
mumbles "com mis er at i on" then smears
his body with the
damp, cold sand. restless
guilt awakens. he breaks
the blue glass bottle
and claims a makeshift
knife, the largest piece.
they say he loved
virginia woolf — in flesh
as well as word.
he cuts his wrists
and arms and walks
into the rhythmic surf.
cold water skims around
his footsteps, ankles, and
calves, around his thighs,
his waist, his sexual
pit; it envelopes his
stomach, his chest, and
his neck; at last
consumes his lips, nose,
and eyes. heavy liquid
breathing erodes what once
was sacred, promises to
erase all his past
identities
Lights slowly fade to black.
"pacific" IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED, TRANSMITTED, PRINTED OR PERFORMED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR
"pacific" debuted April 5, 2003, performed by John Shirley.
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