scales (journal entry)

[Manna]

the spider held a knife between his teeth. he’d spun his web between his fingers and scooped up that little minnow. I handed him the knife. (spiders don’t have teeth, see?) the trout (and minnows don’t get caught in spider-webs) danced a jig with a bottle in his hand. he showed no interest at all in my dollar. if you ever want to take the scales off a tiny trout, it’s good to have a spider’s help. they don’t mind being vicious when they’re dangling their legs over the edge of a bridge that can sing like Barbara Streisand (you’ve heard those bridges, haven’t you?) he used two fingers to pierce the fish and hold him steady on the road. the road had recently been repaved, or as paved as those roads ever got, fresh tar and stone chips, so it was kind of like pillow stuffing, but not soft, get it? and easy to keep a dying minnow still. The fish was in shock, but how the hell am I supposed to know? their eyes are always round like that, and their mouths are always opening and closing and yawning and gnashing. they don't breathe, you know, so they can't scream. spider took the knife and scraped the scales away leaving a shimmering smear on the side of the road. I know you don’t think this is a serious offense, but I am certain that I will go to hell for it.

[lizzytysh]

HaHa. Non-sensical and wonderful. Deliciously true. An entry in a child's book. What are we going to do with the last line? Just leave it?


~ Lizzy

[Manna]

dance all night with a bottle in y'hand
a bottle in y'hand
a bottle in y'hand
dance all night with a bottle in y'hand
just for a dollar give the fiddler a dram

I'll give ya nonsensical.

[Manna]

Lizzy, have you ever read Edward Gorey? Great gory children's tales, interesting illustrations. I can't wait to expose my child to him.

[HonestlyBlunt]

this is pretentious and makes no sence, you're a goon

[Jimmy O'Connell]

Honestly,
blunt.

[lizzytysh]

And I forgot about your question, Manna. No, I don't recall Edward Gorey from my childhood. The goriest I recall... and it was sufficient to meet all childhood needs for gore... was Bluebeard. Couldn't tell you who wrote it, though.


~ Lizzy

[Manna]

hey look! this got some more replies. cool. Dear Mr. Blunt, assuming you're a mister. You are correct in your assessment of this "piece" which isn't a piece at all, except for being a piece of dross. It is pretentious, yes, and it has never held a seance. Though it could.

This took as long to write as it took you to read. It was completely mental masturbation on my part. Thanks for the thoughtful, insightful review.

love,
The Goontress

ps. I hope you're feeling better.

[HonestlyBlunt]

[Manna]

"Spider" or "Spiderman" in African folk tales has nothing to do with the comic book character you may be thinking of. He was a long, skinny character. Later, in the Uncle Remus tales, Br'er Rabbit was modeled after Spider, a clever fellow who had a knack for getting the best of the other Br'ers, but who also took a few bruisings along the way. If you haven't read these, I highly advise it. The movie version of the Uncle Remus tales is outlawed in the US right now for its stereotypical portrayal of a black man/slave. But I think it's available in Eurpoe. This is the movie that ends with that Zippidy-doo-da song we all know.

My cousin, "Aaron," was a skinny kid. If his arms were like pencils, his elbows were like golf balls. He was clever, witty, and I enjoyed his company because he made me laugh. One summer, my sister and I were staying at their house for a while, and one day he took me fishing. I was maybe 8 or 9, and he was 11 or 12. We were sitting on the edge of a bridge, and he caught some tiny fish, maybe 4 inches long. I don't know what they were. When he would catch one, he would snap the pole backward so the fish slapped against the gravel road. In a cartoony voice he said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there." I was caught between laughing and horror as he proceeded to carry on his cartoon conversation with the fish during its living autopsy. I remember the scales, the air bladders, the smells, the croaking of the frogs, their eyes, and their mouths as we cut them. Now and then I write about it in different ways.

I think most childhoods have a fork in laughter and a spoon in horror.

[lizzytysh]

I think most childhoods have a fork in laughter and a spoon in horror.

Great description of that period of our life. The tales, the ghost stories at night, the man with the hook arm opening the door on the couple parked in Lover's Lane. Maybe something about learning how to control our fears incrementally?

Quite a description with the fishin', especially for a Pisces. I remember cutting some worms in half because I was promised they grew new halves. Very young. Older when I baited hooks with them and grasshoppers. Go figger. On your reading recommendation, it sounds like a bit of fun, but with a promise of no nightmares, right ? Being older now...


~ Lizzy

[Manna]

Edward Gorey or Uncle Remus?
either one should be nightmare free, though Gorey does do some dead children stuff, so maybe not.

[lizzytysh]

I was referring to Edward Gorey.


~ Lizzy