Daddy's Little Princess.

[Violet]

.. my love, I see it's show time.. and you're now performing in that vast stadium. [I send my good luck kiss, my angel.. x

.. actually.. [by way of fortuitous timing].. [comic bit material wise, that is].. but I've been meaning to see a documentary being shown in the city just now called

MEET THE FOKKENS

[DIRECTED BY ROB SCHRÖDER & GABRIËLLE PROVAA]

.. here's a little blurb on it:

Louise and Martine Fokkens are 69-year-old identical twins, working residents of Amsterdam’s notorious red light district for the past 50 years.
Today Louise is retired (citing arthritis: “I couldn’t get one leg over the other”), but Martine still works in the window. Dressed in the world’s
most endearing dominatrix outfit, she solicits men, young and old, and seems to have no dearth of customers. Brash, funny, racy stories punctuate
their conversations: one laughs at the naivety of young prostitutes who are ignorant of the secrets of the trade; the other recalls a client who was
a chaplain: “Don’t you remember, we even had a little confessional!” The sisters also have scary stories to tell, but in the main they recall their
clients with compassion and affection. The Fokkens are a wonderfully amusing cultural mix: one part beloved grandma, one part Xaviera Hollander,
times two.

.. uh, Hollander.. [you more "informed" readers may recall].. is the author of the 1971 memoir, The Happy Hooker.

[you know, I learn just so much in writing on this thread]

.. yeah, so.. uh

let's see.. what could I possibly add to this?..

well, I guess, once you can't get one leg over the other, it really is time to quit. Whereas, as long as you can.. uh.. get one.. leg

[my God]

[God bless 'em.. as they say]


.. oh, as to the "confessional".. I suppose even chaplains need a place to confess. Assuming that's who did the confessing. Actually, maybe the, uh, "twins" did the confessing. [twin confessionals, I guess then]

.. meanwhile.. as the chaplain listened to their confessions, he would have been.. uh

.. but, I mean, wouldn't he need to confess, then?

[I guess that's where the dominatrix bit comes in, then]

[seems like]

.. yeah.. so

Amsterdam.


.. actually, my love, I need you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you.

.. now.. [unless this sinusie thing really does prevent my doing so].. but, my plan is to head north tomorrow.. to that far off shire known as Portland, Maine.. where I shall visit with my niece and nephew, etc.

.. I will have to make quite a drive up there, and so I'm hoping I won't be sneezing 'n sniffling the whole time. [although, knock on wood, I seem to be a lot better just now] But.. yeah.. I'll be on the road.. and even my Blackberry is on the blink at the moment.. so.. I will be incommunicado 'til late Saturday, or Sunday, it looks like.

.. so, in the meantime, I hope you continue to have a great time on your tour.. and I'll have to catch up on things upon my return.

.. in any case, this is just to get you in the mood for your next stop. As it is, I'm sure you'll be traveling by boat.. [most likely].. [ship, I should say].. so

[this is a real switch from my "armpit" material, come to think of it]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEwdroXuL8A
FULL SCREEN..

.. actually, my father.. who came to live in the States when he was a boy of eight from Aberdeen, Scotland.. but that sequence reminds me of how he described the approach by boat to New York City. It must have been quite a sight for a boy his age.

.. alright, my love.. x.. (you're in my heart..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAOmmiEceps
FULL SCREEN..

[Violet]

.. wait.. you're going to be performing at a castle???

[is this true?]

.. I will be musing on this on my trip back to Lady in Waiting Mountain on Saturday. [yes: note the change]

.......... x ..........

[Byron]

Karen, I have been 'away' from the Forum for so long. I had a look at LC with his clock and then decided to meander through the 'lyrical garden.' So I opened the top of the members' poetry section, and was drawn to see how well this piece has been followed, not having seen it until a few minutes ago.
I clicked on it, and bugger me, your Little Princess appears like an apparition from my piece of a character falling apart in public.
Public faces in private places don't make good bedfellows. Only the few can show a private face in a public place.
Love is a madness over which we have no control. The father's madness, re-created him as a victim, long before the end of your second stanza.

Lest we forget, saying "no," is the hardest thing of all. Except perhaps, having to stand by, doing nothing.

For me, your last line is a rhetorical question. And rightfully so. We'll all go to our deaths unable to stop ourselves from whispering inwardly upon our suddenly 'times-up lives,'

"If only, if only, if......."

[Violet]

.. Leonard, my angel, I've decided to rewrite this post--more as just a little update.

[hi again, Byron]

.. anyway, it's probably not a good idea to post something in the wee hours of the morning, when all seems lost somehow.. as it seemed early this morning.

.. I can't say I'm having the easiest time of it, but that doesn't mean all is lost. I think I have to remember that I am fortunate in that I maybe do have the tools to help myself, and to hopefully get to a better place with things.. so

I just thought I'd say that.

I'll keep the end of that last post.. (you are dear to me, my angel. All the best for the next leg of the tour.. x xx..


.. okay, so.. [as I'd been saying]..

.. when I see you up on stage.. well, to me, you're doing that. You're being strong for us.. even as there is joy in that--especially that there is.

.. so, I thank you, my angel.. x.. and I love you, and.. I'm going to find a way to be strong, if I can.. (but maybe send me a little prayer.. as nothing seems terribly easy just now)


this really cracked me up, actually. At the same time, it seems just so "symbolic." It reminds me of Agent Longing telling Violet that there "isn't a lot of time"..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJlxE7hH ... e=youtu.be
FULL SCREEN..

.. [now.. onward and upward.. to wonderful wonderful Copenhagen.. xx x..

[Violet]

.. my love, how are you?

.. just a quick note to wish you well tonight. I do wish I was going to be at that castle. [a very Joan of Arc type setting]

.. I've just read the thread here about Neil Strauss' book Emergency, and was terribly moved by the things he said about you. I also feel that maybe my Agent Longing idea is not so far off the mark, then. I mean, maybe it's closer than I even consciously realized. Interesting, too, is the Zen aphorism you quoted about the lotus blossom:

The lotus that blooms in the water withers when it comes near to fire. Yet the lotus that
blooms from the midst of flames become all the more beautiful and fragrant nearer the
fire rages.

.. funny, as I'd just had such a deep "identification" with my little lotus blossom recently--at our lake, I mean.. especially given it drowned.. drowned, even before blooming.

.. but I'm not drowned.. not yet, at least.. and--well, just in writing what I've just written, and seeing the world as I do.. I guess I'm pretty close to the flames. Still, I don't know if I'm to drown, or to become more beautiful in becoming strong.. [given my proximity to the flames, I mean] It depends on the day, I guess.. what sort of conclusion I might come to. Given the great pain I just experienced, I definitely have been put in touch with my human frailty. But real strength must always be cognizant of that, I guess. Or else we become like machines.. dissociated from the heart, and the mind, even.. the mind so directed by the heart.

.. still.. I don't know. I don't know if I'm strong in the way I sometimes think I "should" be. But I guess I've to work at putting away such doubts, since what good do they do me?

Oh. I thought to mention.. my chiropractor/healer person sees a lot of clients each week, and it's interesting, as he sees various "patterns" relative to how people are reacting to things out in the world. He said that just now he sees that darker elements are being churned up.. which is to say, an additional challenge for us all is that whatever is "weakest" in us.. or where ever our "sore" points are.. how it is we feel deficient, etc.. such elements will emerge with a vengeance.. and so, it's important to do what's necessary to counteract such feelings.. whatever it is that works.. meditation.. bike rides.. [going to see you in concert, or on youtube] [my angel].. etc. Just know that it isn't all about the individual, but about the world at large. A world under siege, it seems.. in varying ways.


.. well, my love.. tomorrow I'm thinking of taking in a museum show with a friend. In the meantime, I've entered all the changes in my writing on the computer, and have just to give this thing the final "read through." Then I'll be ready to see what's what with it. I've excised quite a lot of it.. but hopefully it's working more as a whole now. It's quite an unusual unfolding, I do have to say. (!) But, I think it's lovely, too.. the love story it tells.

.. alright, my divine. You give us all a great deal, and I know that we all cherish that. [I even worry that you give too much, even.. but I guess I know, too, that you know how to look after yourself, so..

you know, I awoke with that heaviness in my heart again.. which is what seems to happen when I feel I've lost you. I don't know what any of this means, my angel.. but maybe some day we shall meet. I do keep thinking that.. so.. maybe it's true.

.. once again, I send my tender kiss to you.. x.. that all be well, my love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hqC9CPJ_10
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx xx.. xx..

[Violet]

.. Leonard, my angel.. how are you?

.. is it true you did Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" as part of the sound check for Rosenborg?.. [??].. [this according to a poster here] So, maybe my Red Corvette request is not as "out of the question" as I thought, then.. [hmm..

.. I would think you'd have to practice some of those M.J. moves, though..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhy7ZsiR50
FULL SCREEN..

.. now, that's a lot of fancy footwork, my love. Plus, there's now to consider adding a bit of "sparkle" to your wardrobe.. which, come to think of it, you might have considered while you were still in Amsterdam. [seems like the place for obtaining that sort of thing]

.. speaking of.. my friend and I decided to bag the high art idea yesterday, and take in "the Fokkens".. [switching high for low, in other words] The film was quite endearing, it turns out.. but a bit depressing. I mean, it's not exactly the lifestyle one would choose to go into if it could be helped. But the one was bullied into it by a husband who decided pimping was more his line on things.. and, interestingly enough, it seems the other twin just sort of went along for the ride, as it were. [must be a twin thing]

.. but, well, now I have images in my head that I really really wish I didn't.

[none too "glamorous," I have to say]

[my God]


.. well, my love.. I've been missing you. Actually, if it's even possible, I feel I'm falling even more deeply in love with you. [which means I'm in pretty deep at this point].. [one would have to deduce..

.. but, I've decided to just try and be strong, and to keep going with things.. and just see what happens.

.. to tell you the truth, I'm looking forward to throwing myself into this music thing. I'll be meeting up with some musicians it looks like at the End of the World this winter.. [that would be my Goa, India trip, to those vague on such details].. so, I'll see how that goes. [if the world doesn't actually end, I mean] In the meantime, I really have to get my repertoire in order.. [need to firm things up in that department]

.. oh. I did pick up my coral-silk fitted vintage dress, and it does look quite nice. However, I'm wondering if it couldn't be taken in just a bit more, only.. well, I honestly can't see taking it back to that woman, even though her husband did an extremely skillful job with it.. so

my conclusion: I may just bite the bullet, my love, and obtain some, uh.. "chicken fillets".. [they call them].. or "cupcakes".. [which I found out is another term for them]

okay: falsies. I may get myself some falsies. [they do look like chicken fillets, though] But, I think the added "enhancement" would look especially good under a fitted dress like this one. Now, with a more form fitting dress, I honestly don't feel I need them. But, in this instance..

yeah.

[I'll keep you posted].. [as for the, uh, "lower" portion of the dress.. I'm not too sure they make chicken fillets for that.. so.. I may have to just make do, then].. [seems like].. [I mean, I honestly think that woman would just spit on me if I took that dress back to her]..


.. so, you're headed for Norway, my angel. I'm sure it's a beautiful country. [I wish I could be there with you, my love]..

alright, now that the new week has started, I need to do this final "read through." [I'm hoping I won't want to revise anything at this point].. so.. I'll see.

.. oh. I read you were performing under a lovely moon the night at Rosenborg Castle.. (it just sounds so romantic)

.. speaking of romance, I thought I'd dedicate this number to Agent Longing and Violet..

.. but first, I send this tender kiss of mine.. x.. (it's a steadfast traveler, and will find you, my angel.. where ever you are..

(oh, I've also been to our lake a number of times.. and you're with me, my love.. yes, now it seems you are)

[you know, I've been enjoying noticing just now nice your suits are, by the way].. [real real nice].. [xx.. x

(some more kisses, my angel.. xx xx.. x

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Z5BzLQMeo
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx x.. x xxx.. xx..

[Violet]

.. my love, I just thought I'd take a little break from the perfectly frustrating day I'm having so far [I won't get into it], to wish you well with your last night in Norway. [you've really been doing a lot of traveling, haven't you? I mean, without any breaks, etc.].. [so, anyway, a good luck kiss for that.. x

[actually, I'm probably a bit late with this, time wise.. as you're heading toward showtime, I see]

.. oh, and I thought I'd just tell you.. [just as I had my character Violet say to Agent Longing].. but I just thought I'd say that you're the only thing that makes any sense to me, and.. well, I love you.. and I miss you.. and

[all the rest of it]


.. anyway, I've given this whole "M.J." thing a little more thought, and

well, did you happen to notice that one of his hands--his left hand, I believe it is--is quite a bit larger than his right hand?.. Now, to a lot of people that would seem to be some sort of a freakish misfortune sort of thing, but I do think he makes the best of it. Oh--which brings up the fact that you, yourself.. (my angel).. don't happen to have this, uh.. well, in this case "advantage." At least, not that I've noticed. I mean, from here it looks as though your hands are very nicely proportioned, in fact. [that just cracked me up, for some reason].. But, yes.. I

actually, you COULD just get a rather large glove--like a gardening glove or something.. just for the one hand, I mean.. and you could have one of your Amsterdam contacts send you some glitter, maybe, to have it look more "showcase" sort of thing. [seems a good compromise, at least]

[are you SURE you don't need me as your production assistant, or designer, or something??]

[you have to admit, I'm a barrel full of new ideas]

.. now, another thing I've noticed, is that you really don't, uh.. well, I've never actually seen you.. you know.. messing around.. [down there, I mean].. while you're performing, that is. [or, actually, at any other time, come to think of it] Now, ON THE OTHER HAND.. [nice turn of phrase, I thought, given the subject matter].. but, yes.. on the other hand

no, well first. I've noticed that, although you've done it any number of times for your sound checks, you STILL have not performed Anyhow. So, I mean.. this might be the opportunity to make use of some of this M.J. stuff. [just in my opinion, of course].. but, yeah.. you could be wearing the big glitter glove.. and

.. actually, let me see if I can find any more good examples.. [later note: I just censored myself here] [got a little carried away before] [anyway..

[be right back]

.. [..]..

.. actually, M.J. had to have been studying this guy. [for sure] It looks like he's dancing on ice, instead of the floor..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5CAQU6KsMI
FULL SCREEN..

.. I don't know, my love, you've really opened up a whole new can of worms with that Billy Jean number. Now, I'm here to help.. [in any way I can].. but

yeah. That's quite a lot to be up against. [it surely is]

.. so..

yeah.

[whew]


.. anyway, I do hope all is well, my love.

.. I know there were some "management" problems at Aalborg.. but, still, it sounds like people enjoyed the show itself.. so

.. all my love to you, my angel.. x.. (you enchant me..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0uYJGwq49Q
FULL SCREEN..

.. is that thunder I hear on this?.. (it's just perfect for this song in particular)..

.. xx xx.. xx.. xx.. x..

[Violet]

.. Leonard, my love, how are you?

.. so.. off to Gothenburg?

..

.. my angel, I'm heading into Gotham tomorrow.. [sans "burg," I just noticed].. and I'll be bringing back my brother for the holiday weekend. So I thought I'd wish you well for Sweden, and Finland.. since I may not be back here 'til next week.. [quite possibly]


.. as for the writing, it's been reading pretty well. I've been slowed down, since I've had some other stuff I've been needing to tend to, but I think the work I've done on it is making a it a much better read, so.. I'm optimistic.

.. you know, my love, the only thing that's getting me through this is the promise of that chocolate ice cream cone at the end of it all. Oh, and I'm back to "triple scoop," I think. [actually, that suddenly sounds rather "tabloid"]..

VIOLET FLOWER GETS THE INSIDE TRIPLE SCOOP

[with chocolate sprinkles]


.. okay, moving on to some Swede jokes..

[except that now I'm dying for some chocolate, my angel, but I can't have any just now. Why? [you ask].. Because I'm FINALLY doing that "saliva test." Remember that?? Now do you see how long I let things go sometimes???]

[my God]

[yeah, so I'll be spitting into another of those little plastic tubes soon] [to tell you the truth, I already sort of flubbed it this time, as well.. but I decided I'm never going to get this thing perfect, so.. I'm just looking straight ahead.. zeroing in on the prize.

[five plastic tubes filled with my own spit]

ANYWAY.. the only thing that comes to mind Swedish jokes wise is this little anecdote someone once told me a long time ago.

.. so, yeah.. this friend of mine had gone to Sweden once as a young man, and.. well, as most of us know, Swedes are pretty big on "sauna." [actually, I'd be too, if I had one]

.. so.. anyway.. this friend of mine was staying with this Swedish family, and when it came time to go into the sauna.. well, there they all were.. Dad.. Mom.. my American friend.. oh, and the teenage daughter.. [yeah].. all sitting there naked in the sauna.

.. so..

[I'm trying to think of how to tell this]

[especially given my "censored" material in that last segment] [I mean, I'm trying to clean up my act a bit].. [if I can]

.. so, anyway.. there they all were, and.. well, let's just say that my friend, uh.. I mean, it seems his

well, the long and the short of it

[wrong expression]

but, yeah. It seems my American friend had to vamoose from there a bit earlier than the rest of them.

[yeah]

[Sweden]


.. well, my love, the weather's been quite nice today, and so I guess I'll head out to our lake soon. Oh, it occurs to me you must be experiencing some very long days, as far as daylight goes, being up in those nordic regions. Still, you spoke of the moon that one night, so.. I'm wondering what time that must have been..

.. actually, I went riding far too late the other evening, not realizing that the days are now getting shorter. I rode home under this magnificent moon, and I thought of the moon you sang under at Rosenborg Castle.

.. I miss you, my angel.. x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOJBGjLQ ... e=youtu.be
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx x.. xx. xx x.. xx..

[Violet]

.. my love, I should be in bed, but I wrote you a poem instead. (I send again my best wishes to you and all on your tour.. x



Everything new in you

[much later edit: I'm removing poems I feel, uh.. need some work] [such as this one]

[this is what comes of writing-and-posting, without any "maturing" time]

(sigh)

.. just a beautiful painting, though.

[Violet]

.. Leonard, my angel.. my love.. how are you?

.. I hope you're having a good time on the road. It seems you are.

.. I have to say, I do miss you more when I don’t write you here, but that’s all I’ll say on the matter. [no use getting all gloomy about things]

.. I did manage to do a bit of work this holiday weekend, in between riding my bike, and having a few hamburgers ‘n such.. and.. well, I’m honing in on the finish line with this last edit. So, that’s good news.

.. and yes, I did make it out to our lake a few times. And once again I saw some lovely sunsets.. and I sent you my sweet prayers.. [thinking you might already be asleep]

[I do wonder if we’ll ever meet, my love]


.. so, I’ve noticed you’re taking Berlin before Manhattan. [I believe you're making a habit of that]

.. oh, and I regret having to make the following correction, since it’s the only joke that comes to mind just now concerning Berlin. But, apparently, when President Kennedy made that famous speech.. the one where he said:

“Ich bin ein Berliner”

.. but, yeah.. apparently that doesn’t have to mean

I am a jelly doughnut

as has often been stated. So, yes, it seems the more dignified meaning would more likely apply, in other words.

Of course, if I ever make it to Berlin, I’ll be sure to just state that in English, then:

I am a jelly doughnut

[just to be clear].. [so that we're all on the same page, in other words]


oh. I've come to a new decision, actually:

I'm going to have my nails done professionally.

[this is part of my “Chanteuse” update]

but, yes, do believe it's time.

oh, and on just that topic, I was reading that Goa is the Jazz center of India. I honestly had no idea.. so, maybe it’s a good place to get started, after all.

[who knew??]

.. oh, also.. after trying on my vintage coral-colored dress again.. (my angel).. I’ve realized what needs to be done to it. Unfortunately this means I DO need to take it back to that woman. [the woman who will no doubt spit on me].. But I realized that if I have the seam [that runs all the way down the back] taken in, the dress will hug my, uh.. [you know].. quite nicely.. so

I need to just hold my breath and go back in there.

now, I don’t know what effect this will have on the, uh, “chicken cutlet” situation. It could be I won’t need them, after all.. although I’m thinking of venturing in that direction anyway. You know, just for the “sport” of it.

[so, again, I’ll keep you posted]


.. so, yes. These are the times that are trying Violet Flower’s soul. [in all sorts of ways]

[sigh]


.. anyway, my angel.. I’m still hoping you’ll eventually be doing Anyhow. Certainly, by the time you get to the States. You know, I’ll be heading out west all on my lonesome just to see you.. before I head out to the End of the World, that is.

.. now, if we make it through all that, well

I honestly think the triple inside scoop would be in order. [especially if I myself am brave enough to venture into double inside scoops. Or, no, “cupcakes,” I guess they’re called]

.. so.. yeah. You do owe me that cone if the world doesn’t end.

[that seems only fair]


.. alright, my angel. You know, you’re with me all the time.. whether I write you here, or not. Sometimes it’s a kind of ache inside. Sometimes I imagine being with you, and it’s this tremendous joy. (I really do feel my heart could burst).. but, either way, I don’t know how to do without you, my love..

.. I send again my tender little kiss.. x.. and my best wishes for Berlin.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpR3eXOwQzc
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx x.. xx xx..

[Violet]

[much later edit: I've removed the beginning of this post, leaving the rest]


.. my love, yesterday, I was driving into the city, singing a lot of the jazz standards I’m considering doing.. but

well, on my way back home.. it was dark, and I was nearing the mountain where I live.. still on the highway..

.. and I wondered if there was a song of yours that my voice was suited to somehow.. and I started to sing Suzanne.. only, the melody that came up was..

.. well, I’ll post it. But there I was, singing this song of yours.. (there in the darkness, with the mountains all around me).. and I was feeling just so moved by your song.. by its beauty, and melancholy.. and my voice resonated with that. I never thought I could sing your songs, actually—and do them justice, I mean.

Anyway, singing this song had me appreciating once again how much you’ve given us, my love.. how much incredible beauty.

.. I love you, my angel.. x.. (and again, my best wishes for the tour.. xx x..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdr04EwDd2o
FULL SCREEN..

.. actually, I'd like to add the original recording, as well..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L80CQpY9Yys
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx x. xx x x..

[Violet]

.. my angel, I'm writing you a special little note for when you return to your room tonight, after what I'm sure will have been a wonderful performance in Monchenblah blah-something-or-other.

[well, at least you're nearer to London now]

.. actually, I'm bit on the blue side today. Nothing too serious, I don't think.. just feeling "bleh."

[the writing is done, however, so I'm just getting some last things in order on that end of things].. [will keep you posted].. [on that, as well as the chicken cutlet situation]


.. anyway, I thought I'd put together a comic bit for you on Monchengladba-whatever-it-is, just in case you do any socializing before heading out to London. This way, you have additional material you can use, without having to drum it up yourself. It's meant as a "time saver," in other words. [or a stress diminisher]

[actually, to those new to this thread, check out the middle of page 124 on this thread for my first "Stroppendrager bits"] [that should get you up to speed]


okay, so.. two displaced Stroppendragers are taking a Pilates class in Monchen-gla-what-ever-it-is.

[oh, yeah: the dude who invented Pilates is from there] [yes: Monchenblah-blah, believe it or not].. [and you probably thought it was an "American" thing]

so, anyway,

the two Stroppendragers are on the floor, and their nooses are of course getting in the way of their, uh, "various positions".. [shall we say].. [may as well]

Stroppendrager the Dry [yeah, he's one of them]: Gosh, I wish I had that velcro back.

[oh: the Duke of Velcro was "hung out to dry," let's call it.. so, it's a "no go" on the whole velcro angle once again. In Ghent, at least. Although, in Monchen-what-ever-the-hell-it-is things are tough, too.. so

Stroppendrager the Wet: Oh, don't start with that again.

[he means that velcro stuff]

Strope the Dry: Well, then how did you get your leg around your neck like that without getting it tangled in your noose?

Strope the Wet: Oh, easy. Just hold the noose down, as you're wrapping your leg around your neck--like this. See?

Strope the Dry tries this and nearly strangles himself to death. [really, he should go to Amsterdam for that sort of thing].. [if you really think about it]

Anyway, Strope the Dry manages to extricate himself from his difficulties, and does a less advanced Pilate move. He's actually just down on his hands and knees, looking something like a brooding poodle. [if I had to try and describe it].. ["the Brooding Poodle Pose," I guess it would be].. [which of course is only enhanced by the noose around his neck]

.. so, anyway

Strope the Dry [thinking to maintain this position for a while]: So, how 'bout that Francis II, huh?

Strope the Wet: What about him?

Strope the Dry: Oh, well, I don't know.

.. then they both return to silently maintaining their various positions, all rather Stroppendrager-gloomy like, and grim.

oh, here's the wiki scoop on Francis [oh, and the abbey was a pretty big deal over in Gladbach, apparently]:

When the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II conveyed the left bank of the river Rhine to France with the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801, Gladbach fell under French religion laws. This was the end for the abbey, and the monastery was closed. On October 31, 1802, the last 31 monks left the monastery. The tremendous abbey library, well known outside of Germany, was scattered or destroyed.

[end: wiki quote]

luckily, however, centuries later, Joseph Hubertus Pilates [yes, the Duke of Pilates, in other words] invented the Pilates Method.. and thus, displaced Stroppendragers from all over Europe now come to the famed [destroyed] library to practice. Why this brand of yoga is of special interest to Stroppendragers remains a mystery. However, a new special library is being erected as we speak just for the study of so unlikely a phenomenon. It's called the Monchengladbachstroppendragerbachmozart&liszt Center for the Amusement of Violet Flower.. [on a day she's feeling particularly blue].. [which happens to Violet flowers].. [sometimes]

[end: Monchen-whatever-the-hell-it-is comic bit]


so, that's about it, my angel. I've got some stuff I'm taking care of, but once done, I'll let you know.. and.. well, maybe you'll be in a place where you'd like to take a look at the story of Agent Longing and Violet. I'm hoping it's a fairly entertaining read at this point. Anyway, I shall let you know when it's ready for delivery. [if you'd care to see it, that is]

[actually, I can't believe I'm actually done writing/editing it].. [it's a shocker]

[sigh]

.. anyway--

oh. So, now that I read you like a shot of whiskey before the show, I'm thinking your "drinkification" may need an update. Only what brand of whiskey do you prefer?..

now, I know you'd be a step above what those three geniuses over at Drinkify had for Joan Baez.. [Canadian Club Whiskey] Then again, it's a whiskey that was referred to in a review I found as: "the shy girl in glasses who really loosens up on the first date".. so.. I could see you sort of liking that..

.. (hmm..)..

.. on the other hand, as I'd once posted here, a real Scotch whisky has no 'e'.. so..

THE LEONARD COHEN
1 shot of your best Scotch whisky.
Show time.
["stirring" implied]

.. alright, my angel.. sweet dreams.. x.. (and I'll catch up with you in London, the Pilates capitol of the world after Monchengla-whatever-the-hell-it-is)..

(I miss you.. xx x..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B3n7lqoqVI
FULL SCREEN..

.. xxx.. xx x.. xxx..

[Violet]

.. my love, how are you?.. I hope London finds you well, and rarin' to go. [a few kisses for that.. x xx..

.. since I last wrote, I wound up putting back one of the erotic scenes I had recently removed from the writing since, the more I thought about it, the more I realized there was something missing in having taken that section out. [so, yeah, I guess I was a bit premature in thinking I had "finished"] [though substantially, I have]

[sigh]

anyway, I think the erotic sections are particularly compelling--well, hopefully now they are.. now that I have [hopefully] remedied where I'd failed with them previously, given the difficulty of writing such material [with all the inevitable pitfalls involved].. but, hopefully I have that worked out now. That said, what I find compelling about these sections is that it's there that this more poetic element enters, which can feel more complex in the way the psyche is complex.. as is its erotic terrain.

.. so, I'm feeling more hopeful about the writing, certainly in that respect.

.. actually, I just found this on youtube. [the link below] It's something I've never seen before. The name of the guy rather threw me.. but then I found myself quite drawn to this, and feel it maybe speaks to what I'm talking about, given your poem.. and the stunning, rather erotic, exotic--and certainly "subterranean".. [or "subaquatic"].. feel to the imagery, which goes so well with what your words conjure.. and your voice.. (even without such visuals)

[oh.. in keeping with this, too, is the fact that I already had my character Violet wearing a kimono]

.. alright, my angel.. I miss you, and once again send this tender kiss.. x.. I do hope you have [or are having] fun performing in London.. x xx.. (I see that Dublin's next.. and that looks to be a happily endless.. [and no doubt somewhat inebriated].. party of sorts.. xx x..

okay, but back to.. (oh, and for this, another kiss, I think.. x..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9cLGzQBQww
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx x.. xx xx..

[Violet]

.. my love, how are you?

.. I took a ride out to our lake this evening. It would have been after your second show in London--or wherever Wembley Arena is.. but I thought you might still be awake.

.. the sun was already ablaze between the trees as I set out. I keep forgetting that the days really are becoming much shorter now. And when I got to our dock, there was a heron--a very large one this time.. just making its flight from the walkway of the dock, having heard me, I guess. It was magnificent to watch, as he so gracefully spread his wings, and took off.. flying low over the water.


.. then I stood on our dock before what seemed a miraculous painting of gold-tinged clouds, surrounded by that sleepy salmon and soft-blue that so often comprise the most consoling of evening skies.

oh, and heaven's rays were stretching high above me--with the water just dazzling. And as I stood there, taking it all in, I once again felt to be aboard a ship.

.. and my heart was just filled with you, my love.. (and I sent you my little prayer as I headed back to my bike)

.. (you know, as best I can, I'm setting my worries aside.. and just loving you, my love.. not knowing what can come of it.. but not wanting it to end)


.. by the way, I didn't know you sojourned to India.

.. actually, the guru I will likely be meeting when I take that little trip to the End of the World in a couple of months.. well, apparently he studied under this--I suppose it was a yogi.

.. now, I once read that there are yogis who--given they are adept at meditation, and various types of breathing practices, etc.--but, I read there are yogis who are over two hundred years old.

.. well, NOW I learn.. [from this person I know in Goa].. that this particular yogi is.. uh.. [I know this is going to sound pretty "out there" to some].. but, yeah.. apparently he's eight hundred years old. [???????????]

[I wonder if he "tweets?"]

.. so. yeah. Let's see.. that means he was around, starting in the thirteenth century.*

[he'd make a great dinner guest]

[my God]

[my love, what's going to happen to me over there??]


anyway, my angel.. it really was a lovely ride I took tonight. I just love the dark silhouette of the pines, with that blazing orange light shimmering through the branches.

oh, and it was cool.. just like fall. And I thought that the only thing that would make it more perfect would be if you were with me at such a time, and in such enchanting surroundings.

(sigh)


.. okay, well.. I guess I need to head for bed. Oh. Something you said really cracked me up.. [let me see if I can find it].. someone here had transcribed it. It's what you said during I Can't Forget in Aalborg.

here it is..

It was at the beginning or it was at the end. I thought it was somewhat
close to, not exactly in the middle, but maybe closer to the end. I can't
be absolutely certain but it seems to me that all the documents were
in the drawer that was to the left of the cabinet--not the cabinet that
opens, the cabinet that closes, and always closes, and

[actually, I thought I'd leave it as a "dangler"]

[by the way, I'm loving this song more and more. Just love it]


.. okay, here's my tender kiss, my angel.. x.. (get some rest.. you'll be needing it for those Irish)

.. oh, and I'm still here holding the fort on I'm Still Pining for You on Pine Mountain Mountain.. [do you think that name's too long?].. (more kisses, my beloved.. xx x

(and yes, I miss you).. (and would love to be getting totally soused with you and all in Dublin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed6p1QZBLjw
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx x.. xxx.. xx.x..

*it was late when I wrote this, and I calculated wrong. Had the eleventh century, originally. Although, "forgetting" is appropriate to one of the themes of this thread these days.. (as it is in my beloved's tour)
last much later edit: I'm just moseying through, and tweaked something. [I'm really just procrastinating, truth be told]

[Violet]

GOA:

Violet and the Eight Hundred Year Old Yogi Dude are drinking some whisky at the bar inside the End of the World Bar.. [at the End of the World].. [oh, in Goa, India, as it happens]

.. Violet has a pretty tea towel wrapped around her pretty little neck.. [with ice cubes tucked inside it].. as she sort of sulks.. [Stroppendrager-like].. into her Scotch whisky.. [which she had to smuggle into the country, as it turns out--oh, since they don't have any good Scotch whisky over there, for some reason].. [they're not big drinkers, in fact].. [which explains why the bar she sings at is empty most of time].. [now that I think about it]

.. so.. yeah.. nobody's sayin' much

when

Violet: So, how ‘bout that Leonardo Da Vinci, huh?

Eight Hundred Year Old Yogi Dude: What about him?

Violet: Oh, well, I don’t know.

.. oh, so then Violet Flower goes back to sulking into her good Scotch whisky.. [as she adjusts her tea towel so that the ice is situated just over that new pain she's beginning to feel in the upper portion of her now throbbing neck]

[perish the thought]


END: End of the World comic bit.

[to be continued].. [oh, if, uh, "circumstances" are "permitting," that is]

[which might, in fact, be a good topic to bring up with with that yogi dude].. [now that I think about it]



DUBLIN:

A displaced Stroppendrager and an Irish Priest are sitting at a Dublin bar having a Guinness. As usual, the Stroppendrager is rather hunkered down and sulking, and so his noose slips into his Guinness, whereupon he takes it out, and flips it over his shoulder.. [etcetera, etcetera]

Displaced Stroppedrager: Father?

Priest: Yes?

Displaced Stroppendrager: It’s been at least twenty-five years since my last confession. Do you mind if—

Priest: Jesus, Mary and Joseph--why has it been so long since your last confession, lad??

Displaced Stroppendrager: Oh, well, I don’t know.

Priest: Alright. Go ahead, then.

But first, the displaced Stroppendrager sulks a bit more, and so of course the noose falls into his beer again.. and so he once again takes it out, whipping it around his shoulder.. [with a bit too much "Irish enthusiasm," you might say].. thus spraying the Priest with Guinness Stout, as the noose lands back in his beer again.

Priest: You know, you've already chalked up two Hail Marys with that, lad. Now that I can promise you.

At this, the displaced Stroppendrager starts to sulk again.. [his noose still soaking in his Guinness].. and then.. well then he really lets go, and he starts sobbing, even—sobbing into his Guinness Stout. (!)

Priest [looking all concerned]: Saints preserve us, why are you cryin’ lad? Surely things can’t be all that bad!

[look, they even have exclamation points in Ireland still] [which only makes our sobbing Stroppendrager even more upset]

Anyway, the displaced Stroppendrager.. [who happens to be Strope the Dry, by the way].. tells the Priest about his sorry lot as a Stroppedrager in Ghent. He tells him about the first sorry lot of Stroppendragers.. [that’s right, when Charles V got all dictatorial ‘n stuff—just 'cause they were rightfully protesting his undue taxes ‘n foreign wars ‘n stuff].. He tells him how he finally learned to use velcro to hold back his noose when he drank his Belgium beer, and how he was eventually “discovered” in this--thus, his breaking city ordinances, and thus being publicly humiliated on St. Peter’s Square.. [with scores of Stroppendragers tossing their beers at the five nooses he was forced to wear around his neck] [in honor of Jack Nicholson, I think it was] [although I no longer remember why].. [yeah, cuz, even though I can't forget.. I don't remember what, exactly] [you could say]

[may as well]

.. oh, and Strope the Dry told the Priest how, even when he was “saved” (somewhat) by the Duke of Velcro, he wound up being locked up in the duke’s medieval fortress for twenty-five years—oh, given how forgetful dukes are—Oh! which is why.. [by the way].. he hasn’t been to confession in so long. (!)

.. [even though he would more properly be Protestant, instead of Catholic].. [seems like]

.. oh, and Strope the Dry also tells our Irish Priest about his “trying to find himself”.. which brought him to that infamously destroyed monastery and its library.. [due to the territorial issues rather callously settled by that tyrannical Pillip II dude].. [Oh!.. which is no doubt why, in solidarity, displaced Stroppendragers from all over Europe find their way to Monchenblah-blah—whatever-the-hell-it-is to “find” themselves through Pilates].. [oh, also given the Duke of Pilates happens to come from there].. [oh, and happens to have wanted to do something "good" for the world, to make up for how forgetful dukes usually are--oh, with "forgetfulness" now officially a time honored theme--even historically speaking--on this thread]



.. so, THEN Strope tells the Priest about his humiliating failure as a Pilates practictioner.. and about the Brooding Poodle Pose—which IN FACT.. is really the very last straw that broke the proverbial camel's back [as it were] for our Priest, who, upon hearing of such abject humiliation, finally breaks down himself, and starts sobbing into what's left of his Guinness Stout.

.. so, anyway.. THAT'S WHEN the Priest puts his arm around our poor poor Stroppendrager the Dry.. and when.. with one hand on his crucifix, and one hand on the gir—uh, noose.. [the Priest is kindly keeping it from slipping back into Strope the Dry’s Guinness Stout, you see].. well, anyway, that's when they start singing Irish drinking songs—oh, not to mention Leonard Cohen songs, too.. [of course]


END: Dublin comic bit


Now, I believe Strope and the Priest sang this song [youtube-linked below] between If It Be Your Will, and Anyhow [believe it or not].. [and you thought that one would never make the Irish "Bill's Bar" circuit]

.. actually, I changed my mind. I just couldn’t sit through one more rendition of Drunken Sailor.. [I’ve been listening to them all morning]

.. now, this isn’t exactly Irish, but it’s.. well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9oKdUFC ... re=related
FULL SCREEN..

I don’t know about you, but I’m glad I know that now.. .. [and it all makes perfect sense, too]

.. okay, well, my angel.. have a blast in Belfast. Okay, Dublin. [not as good a rhyme]

.. [I suppose an Irish whiskey will have to do, then].. [or, just keep your good Scotch whisky in a brown paper bag].. [that oughta' cover it]

as for me, I got hit with this awful awful sinusie thing yesterday, and it suddenly got real cold here, too. [probably like in Dublin].. [especially inside--I'm just shivering]

.. anyway, my theory is that I’ve been burning the midnight oil too much.. [trying to do the finishing work on the writing].. and that primed me for another bout of this sinusie thing. [it seems to hit me when I'm run down]

.. so.. not only am I not in Dublin.. my nose is all red, and I can barely breath.. [which I believe is one of the verses from Drunken Sailor, in fact].. [now that I think about it]

[“put-her-in-the brig until she can’t breath, put-her-in-the brig until she can’t breath, put-her-in-the brig until she can’t breath, earl-I-in the mornin’”]

.. so.. yeah.

hey, to cheer me up.. [and really, my angel.. if you can’t bring yourself to do this number in Dublin, I fret of your ever doing it].. .. [I mean, I do think you could just slip it in there, as it were, with no one the wiser].. [you could even wear your “glitter" glove for it].. [believe me, with that crowd, such subtleties are lost] [‘sudzleties,’ you may as well call them]

[I mean, let’s be honest]

.. okay.. without further ado..

but first, my little red-nosed kiss to you, my angel.. x.. (I just adore you).. (and I actually do look kinda' cute with a red nose).. (I'll have you know)

[actually, once I get my Final Cut up and operating, I really should cut something together for you for this number].. [there’s really a dearth of good imagery out there, I have to say]..

[it’s a shame and it’s a pity]

.. anyway, here goes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFqjzrMV5jo
FULL SCREEN..

.. xx x.. xxx .x.. xxx..