aslant: (Default)
[personal profile] aslant
a. strange. night. indeed.

restless and listless (still lackluster) i hung up the phone. tried to cry, couldn't. no water left in me. i went outside on the porch with my jam jar of sweet cold water and watched the dirty twilit sky revolving westerly. the streets dim. my heart and my eyes, dim. the pearling near-full moon dropping from one end of the roof looking at me like it knew me. knew what i was thinking.

and so i went to bed mildly early. still restless. little did i know. the entire time i was living in brazil.

woke at 2:30 am to unfocused dreams of leading antony around a party with my old high school friends. and sitting him with a group and then having to leave. but leading him by the hand the whole time and yes (power of suggestion) an indistinct face. there is more more more to the dream that was ruffled rudely out of me when i awoke to a piercing

beep

which was the fire alarm on the ceiling complaining of a low battery. i tried to ignore it. i couldn't. it was beating my eardrums, startling me awake every thirty interminable seconds. i turned on the light. i was dizzy, unawake. i dragged a chair in and reached up and tried to pull it out but it was attached firmly. i wandered barefoot into the living room to see if there was a socket in the ceiling from the other one we ripped out weeks ago, so i could see how to take it out. no sign of anything.

returned to bedroom. tugged and tugged and had wild thoughts that maybe it was connected to an alarm circuit (like on airplanes) and i would set off a real alarm if i succeeded in wrenching it free. which i did. and it didn't go off.

with sleepy effort i managed to yank out the old battery. discovered in dismay that it still beeps without the battery, albeit faintly. buried it under a cushion in the faraway living room and left the battery on the table and went back to bed. could not fall asleep. kept hearing somebody's voice in my ear. realizing he might actually have been up at that hour. strange. vague faraway voice finally put me to sleep, still restless, clutching a knot of blanket that was definitely not a hand.

and this morning, to further my brazil experience, the water went strange in the shower. in fits and spurts it would have greater or lesser pressure. scalding to lukewarm. also the toilet made funny noises, and is apparently unhappy with new brand of toilet paper. the apartment is rebelling back at me. what are these signs? what am i given to understand?

i left the house thinking: i forgot something. i forgot something. feeling that hole slowly forging underneath my heart.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 07:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aslant.livejournal.com
you are too nice to me.


excuse my absence, just then. had to go outside to help set up the barbecue for this afternoon. it is disgustingly hot outside in the dusty construction-site sun. i do not want to go.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 08:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] booshtukka.livejournal.com
you're having a barbequeue this afternoon? what time? so, don't go.

I'm not too nice to you. you are too nasty to yourself.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 08:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aslant.livejournal.com
no, i don't want to go. but they just gave me a free t-shirt and margaret will think i'm weird if i don't go, now. i haven't eaten in a while, either. hmm.

what i wish for is a year in which i could make myself perfect. then i could come back to now and say i'll come visit. and then i wouldn't keep feeding you these same lines about self-disgust etc.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 08:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] booshtukka.livejournal.com
they're not lines. they're how you feel. and I understand that. I hate being myself, because when I look at me I see from my head to my feet, and the perspective makes me look short and fat.

so, go. and eat. and wear your t-shirt. and don't make margaret think you're weird.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 08:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aslant.livejournal.com
are you frustrated with me by now? i think you must be.

i told you, stay away from women. we're bad news.

can i have a hug? that's what i need today. i want to sit in a booth somewhere in a diner like sylvia plath does in her journals, and they'd have their arm around me and we'd eat clever food and share a drink and then roar off in an old car to see the mountains and be intelligent. i envy her life so much. i wish i lived in the 50s, sometimes.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 08:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] booshtukka.livejournal.com
not frustrated with you. never. promise.

women may be bad news, but I still want one. one in particular.

of course you can have a hug :) (hug)
I held your hand all night. did you feel it?

the 50s were good. but someday people will say that about now.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 09:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aslant.livejournal.com
i did feel your hand, a bit. also in my dream. i kept throwing the blanket up over my shoulders in the chill and wishing it was an arm.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 09:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] booshtukka.livejournal.com
I threw the duvet over my leg, and pretended it was yours. it did make me feel much better. when does your barbecue start? or is it barbequeue? or do the english spell that different too?

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 09:31 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aslant.livejournal.com
yeah. barbeque or barbecue, either one. isn't a queue a line? like queueing up at the bank or something? a barbequeue is therefore...? getting in line to get burnt on the grill? haha.

it's over now, i went, i returned. i observed endless huddled masses of construction workmen. need to update. it was rather interesting.

i am too full now, with sweet lipton tea. there was nothing vegetarian and in desperation i ate the chicken--first meat i've eaten in months. oh well.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 09:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] booshtukka.livejournal.com
a queue is a line, yes. people do queue at barbecues (? dunno) though. people will actually queue wherever they see a line. I find this a source of great amusement.

I didn't know you were a vegetarian. had you told me?

I'm going home now. I bet you can't email me before I turn my pc on.

Re:

Date: 2001-08-01 09:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aslant.livejournal.com
no i don't think i'd mentioned i was a vegetarian. hm. i was for a long time, quit in college, started up again recently.

ha. bet i'll beat you with an email...

Re:

Date: 2001-08-02 01:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] booshtukka.livejournal.com
you did. you won. next time you can beat me with a stick.

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