This is a kitchen soup story...
GOING IN CIRCLES WHILE LEGALLY MUSHROOMED
Are we going around in circles, said a bag-lady from her shop doorway and wringing her hands while looking at me as her excuse for waking her up as I came from nowhere.
The blood cry of a howl came to mind then, but I suppressed it in the bully button belly bones of where I was and found some coins to give her before I moved on my way.
I was looking for a welcome song where I didn’t belong, and everywhere I went looking told me to move on.
Maybe the bag lady was right and I was going in circles, but I’d come a long way, and that wasn’t the answer I was hoping for.
I’d been searching my soul for too long, and I was just going around in circles? No, this couldn’t be; I didn’t ask for this, it was never on my mind, do you hear me; you, you up there.
You’ll suffer as much as I want you to, said a deep voice from over-head.
I looked up and saw nothing but stars, and black, in the truth-grain of what I wanted to see.
I was expecting something.
Ah, now we are getting somewhere, said the deep voice and gave a burp as well.
I felt my body to see if I was still here, and finding that I was, took out a smoke and lit it up.
Riding on the subway sometime later I pulled out my badge and said: hey, look, I’m legally mushroomed.
A girl, that I hadn’t hardly noticed came up to me then and said: oh really, and began punching me in the chest.
I suddenly found I had a craving and bent down to kiss her, but she slapped my face and I felt kind of funny, and began to hallucinate about things I can’t tell you here, but send me a postcard and I’ll give you a cheer.
Well there I was riding on the subway, feeling funny, and hallucinating, when the conductor blew his whistle for a roll call.
So I began to think fast my way out of this and came up with: can I have a show of hands to give a little appreciation for the moment please?
Someone, out in those god damned bushes and listening in, raised a hand, but then dropped it quickly on hearing this.
As the snake swallowed its tail I followed after it and wrote yet another note to say I was not satisfied.
Breathe more quickly now, said the nurse coming to my rescue to relieve me of all my sins.
I was not sure I should be feeling gratitude or not, so carried on without a great deal of upheaval; just a few bumps is all.
My legal guardian called down the stairs to me then and told me to put out the light and go to sleep.
Am I a slave now to be dictated to by the ones above, I thought as I put out the light.
I lit a candle and felt great to have some light to guide me through the long hours of the night and as I began to still I heard my breath going in and out.
Catching my breath is not that easy with the mind; so I took a different approach that fell down the stairs and landed in the kitchen.
We ain’t open till seven o clock, said one of the kitchen maids.
I began to look dutiful about this, and raising up my chin I told her to carry on, and never mind me in the state I was in.
She curtsied and gave a bow and went about her business.
I gave a sigh of relief and found a cup of tea by the cake stand that had a Humpty Dumpty man sitting on the moon and wagging his finger at me to be careful.
Ah, what the hell, I said, drinking the cup of tea: I am a daredevil, and I will drink a cup of tea if I want to.
You can’t catch me, can you, said the kitchen maid from her business just then into my left ear.
No, I really can’t, I said in reply, following her where she was taking me.
As I was led into the cupboard under the stairs where the fruit was kept I chanted a prayer and brought my holy water out of retirement to keep me company; well I had nothing left by then and had to fall back on something; I mean, what else was I going to do?
She would have none of it of course and began pressing me in ways that made up my mind to do as she said and never mind the pickles.
I fought back by raising my indigestion levels from somewhere far away and asked her if she had anything cooking down below.
She laughed at this and bit my toe.
I can only say at this point, and drawing the curtain, that whatever happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen.
Image from me and taken in Penang