Quem não quer sofrer nasce morto

 Olhos palidos pedindo cegueira
Sofrimento é uma sentença
O jogo que durar eternidades
Um caminho longo

Prazer em raro intervalos
Faíscas na exisência
Quem não quer sofrer
vai sofrer em dobro

Labios e ouvidos
Um deslizamento
Um esforço em vão
Emoções desperdiçadas

Aquele dor horrivel
Um pé no vulcão
realidade uma fera
Quem vai querer?

Quem não quer sofrer
Busca justiça a toa
O mundo não ouça
Velha abandonada louça

Forte alivio desde
o desejo passou
Alma medrosa sobrou
A vida é perigo

arriscada 
calamitosa
Suavamente brutal

Them woods

  Where is Russel?

Russel was lost in the rockies for several weeks and his body was never found.
That was ninety one. Now it's 2025. People say they see his clothes hung up in trees during the summer months and cabins in the region get midnight visits by something trying to enter.
They were attributed to Russel.
As they were the same hotspots and clues were always found, as if the man was still alive trying to make contact with humanity again.
Alas his body itself was never seen. And people never describe more than a shadow.
or awkwardly shapen tracks through the snow. In 1991 there was a seach party two weeks after his disappearance, this story is about that experience.

Gareth, Aaron and Jane acquiantances of Russel left Toronto morning August 23rd 1991.
"No early snows to speak of, and no news of any avalanches either" Aaron stated pushing optimism.
"Yeah he could easily still be lost out there somewhere" Gareth said.
"That's the hope. He was due back a week ago however and he is not exactly new to the great outdoors."

A few hours of hush as the true seriousness of the situation sunk in. Jane the great injector of harsh truths, Aaron the dresser upper and Gareth usually optimistic by nature.
They arrived at the carpark where Russel's car had been towed from.
A small shelter maybe 30 meters in size with a front door and a few thick windows.
"Park ranger's not coming in today apparently."
"No problem I already have a note here we can leave in the cabin"

There was some light snow on the ground which was not normal for August. But no close to indicating any danger for campers in terms of cold, and it was already showing signs of melting.
Aaron gathered a little in his drink bottle crouching briefly.
"How far up the track was he camped? Or how far did he usually camp up there?" Jane asked Gareth who knew Russel better.
"Years ago we once made it a few kilometers past the lake at the end. It's atleast seventeen kilometers from here".

"Not supposed to go beyond the lake. Atleast thats what the Alonquian tribes say."
"Oh yer because bigfoot gonna eat them right Aaron?"
Aaron just smirked.
Gareth said "The wilderness is really different at night, it can play tricks on your mind"
"Russel must have thought himself immortal coming out here by himself!" Jane said
"Although the real danger are just bears right?" she added
"I don't know those stags get pretty big" Gareth retorted

They approached some bare shrubs with a piece of orange material flying in the wind just a few meters from the track.
"Must be from his hunting vest" Jane observed.
"It could be from anyone" Aaron said quickly.
Jane packed it away in her jacket pocket.

They walked over foothills almost prairie like flat lands foothills and more foothills.
Then like a great gate rising up composed of thick tall douglas fir and blue spruce.
"Finally we get to the forest" Aaron said.
As they breached the fringe something pale sat watching them.
"Look it's a lizard." Gareth said.
Aaron said "But it's so pale, I've never seen anything like it before."
"It's probably albino" Jane downplaying their fascinations.

Kilometers in they set up their camp in small clearing so they could potentially get some moonlight, if one needed to relieve oneself post midnight.
A small fire and some comfortable moss to carpet the underlayer of the tents.
Yet the night was uncomfortable. There was a low moan that almost went from animal and human and back, the best way to describe it is the noise of a hungry stomach and a faint dog growl.
Loud enough to perturb them all. silent enough for them to nod off eventually.

The next day progress was slow, another strip of Russel's hunting vest was found on the side of the track and the forest track despite protecting them from the glaring sun, seemed to fork and give false paths to nowhere, in which case they's have to double back.
Jane optimistic and the boys compeltely sombre. That is until they reached the lake.
Emerging from the forest like cheerful children. Jane thought so.

They fished and talked and felt at ease. The noise inside the forest wasn't heard here, it was in exact contrast to the shady confusion of the forest.
With a campfire and fresh food they slept better than they could at home.
The next day they awoke to a cold morning. A light snow and low fog.
Something had changed the weather.

They made their way passed the lake and into the low mountains. The day grew grey and exhausting. They hiked up the inclines often using their hands to pull themselves over rocks or to balance themselves.
They got to a flat space by dusk and decided to camp once again.
"Fuck it" Gareth cried out.
"What's wrong" Jane inquired.
"It's back"
"what's back?"
"Jane he's talking about the noise." Aaron said
They went through the motions with no real expression scared and disappointed.
The noise came and went sharpening on a forceful breeze that would blow so hard against their tents that the lining would cave inward in a sinister way. 
It was too much for Jane and she went to sleep in Gareth's tent. Aaron was there a few minutes later obviously hearing the new sleeping arrangement, and joining out of fear.

It seemed darker than the forest, the noise stopped around 3.30am. They started to hear foot steps not far off. Gareth opened the tent and they all piled out, they hadn't been sleeping.
They shone their torches in the direction of the noise and there it was. On the edge of their little camp site.
A human man hairless and pale, something that reminded Gareth of the lizard. Leaning forward as they witnessed it grinning at them.
"It's Russel" Jane said as if ignoring it sensing them.
"No it's not"
The creature leaned in further sniffing with a non existant nose and a dog skullish grin.
It took two steps back and vanished into the dark.
"It was a ghost" Gareth said.
Jane insisted "It was russel somehow"
Aaron looked at them both as if a child.
" I can prove it" Gareth said.
Walking over and shining his lantern on the patch of snow the thing was standing on.
"There's nothing there." 
Needless to say noone slept that night.

In the morning after a few attempts at sleep they set off for home.
Pretty shaken and very tired.
They had almost reached the lake that idyllic place that seemed so safe and welcoming.
"I know it was Russel, I saw the line on his arm. That's what made me say it"
"Why didn't you tell us last night then" Gareth inquired aggressivley
"It's true Gareth I saw it too, the shock of whatever hes transformed into stopped me from being able to identify it." Aaron conceded
Gareth looked down "Next bad news you guys got, keep it to yourself"
"Is it bad news?" jane asked
"Yes, that thing is something from legend. It could not survive out there in the cold naked like that."

"But its still August maybe he went mad and emaciated" Aaron said
"Summer hasn't touched this place Aaron."Replied Gareth.
They hung their heads and once again unpacked their things to make camp.
As darkness took over the three dreamed of the images of the creature they had seen out there that night. The way it had peered into them. The grin. A knowing. A certainty and yet a game.

They dreamed of the pale creature observing their tents from the outside. Gareth woke the other two.

" I dreamed there was a racoon playing with that creature not twenty meters from our tent down there by lakeside."
They shone their torches and to their terror there was something moving down by the lake.
A Racoon turning over rocks looking for something. 
The first subtle sign of light was coming into the sky. The three of them clambered to pack up the camp.
They skipped breakfast and kept a quick pace until they got back to the parking lot.
It was  dusk again, this time though they would be able to drive home and spend their night sleeping in beds.

True darkness, the experience had marked them deeply and they spent a few nights sleeping in the same room just to rehabilitate themselves from the shock. The story that would later be told as the shared hallucination. In a world of no certainty. some might believe there was something odd out there in them woods.



 

A punch in the face on tuesday

 He would bait people into fighting with him. A lot of bullies were just like that. Handing over the gloves, his teenage henchman talking the potential victim into participating in the fight.
"You'll do alright bro, You underestimate your strength."
When they got in for the whisper the candidate was trapped and processed like a piece of meat.
whispering "You don't want to look ike a fucking whuss infront of everyone here, otherwise your going to get your ass kicked anyway when people hear you backed out"
Red face and red gloves and ready to get a beating.

I didn't try to dissuade them. I'd like to excuse myself from all blame, but I'll leave the pretending to the professionals.
The demonic piece of me wanted to see them recieve the pounding of their lives, and fall on their back.
Look absolutely ridiculous then have some of the friends convince him he was brave. It wasn't because I hated them intrinsically, some of them were good friends. But the lie they told that I could already see was bogus made me wrythe in anger. The lie that you need to prove yourself the same way to be a man.
A completely overt weakness in conviction.

If i had a cauldron I'd watch the lot boil forever. Pride what a fucking fallacy.
who needs pride in the modern world.
It doesn't reflect on your ability to adapt, to survive or succeed, its just shit fuel for talk and bragging when you've drunken more than you should have. So boil away and shove your mediocre sense of honor where the sun don't shine.

On the day out there, I'm going to say it was tuesday. There was Brad, Stock, big Jenkins, Boston and Aussie and a group of future losers guaranteed.
Boston the devlish popular sports star of the college, feared by quite a few, yet loved by many.
big provocative lips, smirk and Jibe.
Unfortunately placed against Pops or big Jenkins, who was only sixteen years old but already had a few grey hairs poking out, hence the name. more feared than loved. Impressive beast indeed.

But arrogance got the better of Boston as it always did, as it got the better of all of us. Learning to overlook our weaknesses like so many stacks on stacks of generations. Falling into those traps that would cause us literally months of pain and humiliation and for some suicide.

Gloves on and faces remained cordial, then weird fighting eyes faced off and the first blow came from jenkins, knocking boston slightly off balance.
The Boston replied with a flurry of blows landing 2 or 3 out of about 14, it did look impressive, but had no effect on Pops who'd taken beatings from his brothers and father that would put most of us in hospital, yet wouldn't exceed routine for him.
So a well planted foot and uppercut came whizzing up from under Boston's chest "Whack."
Big Jenkins used his mouth to make the sound efffect he literally sounded the " whizzz." And the crack as it lounded asttonished us.
Then he bellowed laughter.

And again Boston was on him landing left and right, excellent aim, but subpar in power. After pops took a few to the face he changed stance.
One right cross sent Boston reeling almost falling off the green grassy mounds we were using so the teachers wouldn't see.
He took the gloves off and said, "I landed more blows so I would have won." But none of us were having it. "Giving up already" Even the weakest of us who were no match the for the wild and renown boston were ridiculing him.
I looked at the sky this must be what hell is like. Why would anyone need heaven?
Pride, glory and honor values that seem neo christian back here in the eighties and nineties. Drove these idiots to tear themselves apart to prove themselves.

Don't let poeple gode you into fighting their way.
If you get hooked into someone elses game you might as well just offer your face for the beating of your life. The games went on for months until the school itself had to take drastic action to put a stop to.
In that time I did witness a sacred few who shined.
Who surprised us all by putting down a bigger and more vicious boy. It certainly made the whole affair more entertaining if that were possible.
What became most obvious and most unbelieveable was the capacity young 15 and 16 year olds had for withholding years of pure anger and rage then releasing it. Incredibly potent tangible expression. that on occasion would scare the living shit out of the many spectators.

Pride was a lie, yet violence came with its' own abstract heavy truth.

Contrasts on the trailing vine

 Small town village about 70 kilometers from our home closer to town.
"Let's get of here now, there'll be a storm and no doubt we'll get stranded." I said.
"You are probably right, clouds looking dark out there." My wife responded.

Ten kilometers down the road a tyre exploded on the highway, "fuuuuck"
swerving to keep the car on the road, then bringing it slowly to a halt.
"Hey look staglands petrol station and mechanics is open, t's only about 600 meters."
Ok lets walk up see if they can tow it in, it'll be too difficult to push"

There were two guys working at the mechanic, Locky and Steve.
"Thanks for helping us guys."
Neither of them responded. My wife looked at me. "Not very friendly are they?"
they brought the car in and started working on repairing the damage to the rims.
Behind the roadside shop was a small boutique village with shops full of kitsch and ornaments.
A small restaurant and cafe. Big fruit trees surrounded, local farmers teenage children mobbed about curious and teasing.

We spent an hour walking around and sampling some of the local food.
The owners were from India and really let the Hindu themes stand out.
Back at the car Steve spoke up "They bring their stupid culture here to this country."
Locky didn't make a peep. 
Both in their early thirties, both had worked there for their entire adult lives.
Locky long dark here and yellowish white skin, Steve extremely thin short curly grey brown hair.

Their boss came in. "Steve stop ranting about the foreigners again"
My wife tapped me on the shoulder "This is racist Steve"
A couple we had run into earlier had commented on the mechanic shop boys.

"So how long is it going to be, do you think?"
"Oh not long, Put a new tyre and you guys can be on your way."
Locky gave my wife a wink. "I stared at him. He just pretended I wasn't there. 
A skill I used to have when I was younger and somehow lost.
We got into the car "It was four hundred and fifty dollars."
"Could have been more expensive"
Thunder clapped and it started raining heavily.

The road almost became invisible and the wind pushed and pulled the car.
Something crashed from behind us. 
A large tree crossing the road directly and cutting off traffic both way. Also taking down powerlines.
"Thank god" she muttered.
"Hey thats a bad thing, now they are all cut off completely."
"Yeah but we actually got out of there before."
"Typical summer disasters, right?"

The rain subsided enough to see the road again the two thick layers of grey sky met on the horizon one on top of the other. The darker higher and expanding.
"What a contrast the weather is, sunny and idyllic one minute, stormy and hurricane like the next."
My wife looked into my eyes. "Just the way you like it, isn't it"
"Living a life without contrasts would be quite boring I guess" I admitted.
 

The lord of mercy

 The lord stands twenty meters tall in this city
He recognizes our hearts
destroys the corrupt among us
thundering blows

his smile brings the sky
The internal justice
confusion brutality

life and growth

he treads across the land
the sample valley
your sample existance
pleading fairness, fairness

the land is his
the sky swirls in applause
A thunder clap and birds witness
a criminal falls torn from within

breathless
begging mercy
no following speech
perhaps a mystery

the language of punishment
is graffitied on the inner walls
of the corrupted heart
playing like an Lp

The devil just kicks back
and indulges your play list
as it revolves around and around
carved in to destiny

the artist was you
pretending to be the victim
the witness
Oh this Lord just walks over us

Street change on Barbosa avenue

 After the street market Tacks my business associate and I went up the steep street next to the avenue to see the lawyer.
His door was locked, the late afternoon was a soothing shade under blue, a crisp warmth.
We knocked again before getting out our cigarettes.
"Do you think he's busy or do you think he's out?"
Tack said "He knows it's you, he's avoiding you."
"Oh that's hurtful I said sarcastically"

The lawyer had been avoiding us for weeks, and passing a few other people on the way up the street, we could see we weren't the only ones. The windless calm did lull us into a false sense of security which was never good in Sao Paulo.

Timmy and Acorn the street bums happened upon us. 
Timmy rummaged along the side of the street, through the trash. Looking for loose change or something the punters let fall from their pockets. Same two mendingos after every street market, making a few bob off watching the cars. 

Acorn regarded us directly and spoke politely but in hushed tones so that his companion wouldn't hear him.
"Hi bosses, how you'se goin aye? Listen I don't usually ask, but it's about Ol Timmy here, last night he was evicted from his buildin, him in his missus kicked out on their asses."
"Oh horrid" I put Tacks nodding sympathetically.
Both if us taken in hook line and sinker.
"Yeah so Im getting together some change to put him up in a shelter, you spare a few?"

"I guess so" "Yeah no worries" Tack and I replied.
Handing over a few real. 

I turned to Tacks, almost moved to emotion by the friends gesture.
"Would you do something like that for me if I was in a similar mess?"
"Most probably would"
But look tacks pointed. Acorn had taken off walking hurriedly away, leaving the Timmy to continue his afternoon rummaging.

"I guess sharing a bottle of white rum and a cardboard box hasn't done anything for their relationship!"
We fell about laughing.
Timmy got ears of our jokes and his head went up like a hen in danger.
Positioning his ear to get an idea of what we were saying, the way he moved his neck seemed to quick or tight.

I rose my index to my lips, but Timmy knew we were joking about him. We started walking back down to the bottom of the street looking away from his targetting glances. We got to the pedestrian crossing and had to stop. We didn't see Timmy following us, he popped out of nowhere and without respecting personal distance came in almost hugging us.

The tone of Timmy's voice was full especailly rueful.
"Acorn always does that, he gets money telling a story bout me gettin evicted. Thing is I aint got no lodgins. What I scrounge is just for eats int it?"

"Do you need a buck Timmy?" Tacks asked. "Yeah since ya askin I do now."
We were expecting him to tear up in repentence of a life ill spent, neither of us had wanted for much in our lives. Was it heartfelt charity that made us reach for our wallets or just the desire to have Timmy's strange smelling clothes away from us, the question just intensified the guilt of knowing we were haves, and he was a have not.

"What about your friend then selling you out like that? Why do you still hang out with that lout then?"
"Because next week it'll be his turn to rummage outside the lawyers building, and my time to play the violin."
Timmy grabbed the bronze reals from our hands and sprinted into the traffic, laughing.

"How is it with so many casualties on the roads every day, these guys never get hit?"
Tacks scoffed and giggled briefly.

"Because they know how things work better than we do."

Heatstroke south of sudan

 That hot afternoon fifty of my tribes men pounded drums.
The rhythm was inciting all of the small local villagers to the large clearing at the foot of the forest.
The sun shining through, dozens of home made juices and drinks.
What an occasion I danced and danced. My tribe dance with me.
I was a part of something I was not alone. yet something tickled my ear as if there would be some tragic event looming.

I bounded into the air full smile, knees bent and hands risen high. A long shark like bullet split through my endorphin ridden brain. Screaming through in less than a second, though having an hour long conversaton with my nerve endings as whizzed through.

It spoke of where it came from a life of order and glory filled with gunpowder and curated for the magazine home and the airport barrel. The bullet blurted out that it had gone through some ups and downs on it's trajectory into my head. That it's purpose was now fulfilled and that it would move on. Leaving my skull.

"Whizz snap" As if the mistake that murder is, made perfect sense.
The lifeless body once me, consecrated some lost desire of the cosmos.
On the fall my last energy leapt toward the glare of the afternoon sun,
the juice from cups splashing on impact of a local toast.

A split second to feel the last ounce of existence leaving. Laughing out of me as if life iself was a silly joke. Like a vacuum cleaner I try to soak them back in, and they wind more of me out.
Until I am definitively gone.
The beauty of having lived steaming out of blood.

By the time the party had turned to screams I had gone.
The cheerfulness and excitement of the afternoon dead as I here now lying.
The bullet had dug itself into the ground. An instant and appropriate grave for such a lively piece of lead. No head stone short of my corpse. The local wildlife would drag that away, in the case I wasn't lucky enough for a burial.

Entering Tamag

 The Horseman dismounted, took his rucksack and looked over at his two followers.
He nodded and they also got off their horses.
They placed the herbs down on the hard desert floor. Erdem blew an ember from a piece of wood he burnt.
Placing it inside the bowl.
Sangcar and Demircan his followers took turns blowing until the herbs were smoking.
The side of the bare hill obscured most of their bodies from the sun.
The pink yellow clay at this slightly higher elevation looked foreign when compared with the rest of the desert. The bare expanse they had spent weeks traveling over.

"When the herbs have burnt down we will make our entry into Tamag Geçit."
Sangcar and Demircan nodded. 
A bluster of wind kicked up accelerating the burning herbs, then a small explosion from within the bowl, the bowl overturning and exploding into little pieces. sparks flew.

"Praise worthy" Demircan muttered.
Sangcar pulled his sword, and Erdem stumbled higher into the hill to see if something had shot at them.
"It must be a sign that we can enter." Demircan declared.
"Ok lets march on. Leave the horses here tie them to the narrow rock."
As the three continued they rounded a terrace on the hill where faced by a two headed demon.

Canavar the wretched. He moved in a way that felt unnatural. Unholy.
"So three dumb lost men have come to be devoured, how convenient." Both heads sporting fork tongues that could reach out like arms.

"No we are not here to die, though we will breach Tamag to find our lost brother."
"You cannot talk to me, your words are as empty as my stomach, and it is time to eat"
Canavar twice the size of one man leapt upon Demircan biting him deeply where the shoulder met the neck. Using his other head to monitor the reaction of the other two.
"Let us attack" Erdem screamed.
Canavar let Demircan fall to to the ground holding his neck and panting from bloodloss.

Erdem struck a blow to the demon's pectoral, not causing any significant damage.
Sangcar attacked from the rear and drove his blade upward into the demon's leg.
"Wooooooooorrrrrr" Canavar roared and bled from his leg wound.
Aligning the claws of his right hand and aiming his hand at the sun they grew another inch longer. 
Erdem and sangkar were looking for an opening but the demon had both heads on them, Canavar sprang toward Sangcar and decapitated him in one foul movement. Erdem leapt forward and started swinging, landing a few nice cuts but not enough to separate Canavar from Sangar's headless body.
Canavar had his jaws locked over the stump as if it was all one grotesque animal.

Then Erdem realized the demon was still bleeding out from the leg. He dove and buried his sword into the demon's leg. The sword went right through.
"RRRRROOOOOOOONNNNNNN" Canavar roared again. Used his claw to take off Erdem's face. Erdem blocked losing a little flesh from his arms and bleeding badly.

"You will not stop us demon" Demircan rose and threw a dagger slicing one of Canavar's cheeks and ear.
Canavar groaned again and sprang 3 meters above them onto the next terrace of the hill.
"Nothing is granted except these words enchanted, you lose here just a tiny token of what you will lose in Tamag" Canavar's body began to vibrate and burst into small ember like flames.
He continued to sing. "In Tamag the very walls will extract your essence, the halls will corupt what's left of your soul"

Canavar stood straight, pulled the sword from his leg and threw it into the Sangcar's lifeless body.
"He was the lucky one ha ha ha ha..." The demon's body had fully healed. Playing his little game he continued to dance across the top of the terrace.
Erdem and Demircan took what they could and ran.

A shadowy gate came into view infront.
"Run through." Demircan and Erdem put their hands infront of themselves to feel for the Material of the gate. There was none. The men ran through sweating and bleeding.
The land darkened, it suddenly became obvious they were no longer on the earth anymore.

The desert had tree like structures rising up thirty to fifty meters.
The structures had branches but no foliage, they were made of some sort of rock.
Other creatures lived up on them, reptillian cats. 

"How are we to find our brother now Erdem?"
Demircan asked.
"We must find one of the sane undead, they will lead us to the groves of pity where the priest said he was to reside."

Their conversation was interrupted by an incredibly sized batlike creature whose face except for ears and nose was more reptillian than mammal. all scales no fur. 

"Get down" Erdem shouted.
They dove for the ground as the huge shape passed a few feet above the ground.
"Can we die here?" Demircan asked
"Lets not chance it."
The thing let out a low moan and passed by quickly disappearing into the darkness ahead.
"Better follow it."
"it's gone!"
the land became gradually darker almost like they were walking from dusk into night every kilometer made the sky look darker, visibility was good and for the meantime the land except for the large tree structures was empty and silent.

In the gloom Erdem spotted a figure hunched below one of the structures. 
"That looks like Sangcar."
They approached the figure who was sitting with his face in his hands.
"Is this a trap? There could be some sort of danger." Demircan cautioned.
"Sangcar is that you, you are whole again!" Erdem exclaimed.

Sangcar took his hands from his face, there were tears upon his face and a look of resignation.
"Hello friends, I will tell you this now. Although I sit here whole, this place is wrong. You should attempt to flee from here even without our brother Karagön."

Sangcar looked at them with anger. "If I had not followed you all here, I would be back home in Jarabulus with my wife and children."
Erdem chanted some words under his breath, while Demircan put his hand to his face assuming shame.
"I command you to show us the way to the groves of pity so that we may find and save Karagön."
Sangcar's face reddened "Sorry brothers this place is taking me over, you can see t happening to me, I am filled with guilt and anger. I cannot guide you. The lizard cats control me from the structure. They feed off my sadness. Look up in the rock."

Sure enough lizard cats in the rock tree were absorbing subtle light from Sangkar.
"Dig under the rock with your daggers, you will find a gift I have bestowed unto you. It is the last of my hearts love, it will protect you." With that Sangkar buried his face in his hands and continued to sob.

Erdem and Demircan began digging

Severing the clouds

 

The air is home
The hunt is alone
Labor of flight
each sense to hone

Distances outlying
speeds so dizzying
Prey never sees brutal incursion
the dive bomb art no distortion

raised to ride the winds
Epitomy predatory sins
A demon outcast
Worlds never outlast

Reeling through the draughts
surging with the blasts
getting high on the friction loud
running the current bound clouds

Lord Berners soul ember fed in a
line of fire across the horizon
cut the troposhere beak and scorn
motoring fearlessly beyond harsh storms

(Andy Levitt- The modest Peregrine)

Because you love nature

 Counting the yellow rods he picked up at the side of the narrow creek over a canopy of vines and semi arid evergreens. 
Footsteps came a short way away from the other side of the creek. 

"Hey can you tell us how to get back to the carpark" Toby McGill said.
So abrupt the alien had no time to cloak. The alien was wearing human clothes, though,
he turned his back so they would see his strange face.
"Keep on going, there is no path but you can follow the creek"
"Is that gold you are taking from the river?" Janet Mcgill asked

"No I'm testing different materials in the river, to check water purity." The alien answered
"Oh wow, is the creek poisoned or something? Why are you facing away from us?"
"I have a disease that has changed the structure and color of my face. I'll turn around but you guys will have to brace yourselves."
The Alien turned around slowly Janet raised fists to her mouth, Toby gaped.
"That's not a disease, you are an alien!"

The words gave a new meaning to gravity, he had been discovered.
Almost uttering a "no" in protest he felt the absurdity of denying it.

"You are not measuring the purity of the water are you?" Janet tagged.
"Well I'm actually collecting a material hidden tot he human eye and quite rare, these rods collect it from the margins of these narrow creeks"

"Can we cross and meet you in Person?" Toby asked excitedly.
The alien silently wretched, he'd liked humans but never close contact, their skin was smelly.
"I guess so but I cannot shake hands because of hygiene reasons O.K.
Janet elbowed Toby in the ribs. and whispered "It's a fucking Alien lets just get out of here, and how did you know it was a fucking Alien?"

Toby pretended not to listen and jumped over the narrow one meter gap of the creek.
Approaching the alien cautiously "Wow you are exactly what I expected."
"What do you mean?" The alien replied.
Something rustled in the trees from the other side. Janet screamed "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, there's something big over here!"

Out of the undergrowth bounded a sixty kilogram mountain lion.
Janet threw down her backpack and started backing away facing the lion.
"Just stay still" Toby shot.
The Lion cautiously started sniffing around Janet, Janet fell back and fainted.
The alien sprang like a frog near the mountain lion landing two meters from it.
"rrrrrrrrrrrrrowwwwwww" It turned on the alien.

The alien positoned a four fingered hand in the air above the lion. The Lion started to sway. It seemed to lose it's aggressiveness.
After a few more seconds Janet lifted her head.
"He's hypnotizing it"
"Quiet" Toby said.
The Lion slowly sat still swaying slightly.
Then lay and slept.

The alien quipped " Why are you all so shocked to see a mountain lion out here? this is it's habitat."
"Nature is just so strange" Janet got out after a pause to think.
"Do you mean alien?"

Clown through the fifth life

 The clown is partially obscured
in this our personal carnaval
Your mind a carousel
spinning

the clown's smile 
reflected in the opposing mirrors
The ones that in a dream of folly
represent the eternity

A nietzschean compound repetition
seventy one thousand lives
each mirror a mouth
with eyes with eyes

He's peeping albeit 
most of his face is hidden
Happy eyes
the tents cloth deflates

Too late for exit
Warm like a blanket
Itchy like flea mosquito
humid and balmy

Lost in the womb
The red tent
lost within 
the smell of popcorn and fried hotdogs vanish

ready yourself
for the new bid for life
New take on love
partially obscured for the entire journey

New mother
happy eyes wet and accepting
Clown society rigging failure
Tents collapsing

Face the external euphoria
retreat to the mirrors once again
attempt to Know yourself
Embed yourself in the competition afresh

winning some token animal
Or mug which surrenders to Koolade
Ego to flattery
tongue to sugar

Be reborn here
in this haunting carnaval
where each part of your life circulates each ride
queueing up glum and hopeful

womb warm like an oven
 The cord holds you as you spin round and round
I think I like it
I look out past the ride to where the mirrors stand

I see my reflection
that happy smile
Now the full face and smile is exposed
Thus I am the clown
 

Painting Johnny Iron's house

 I'd been waiting for 20 minutes for an Uber.
By the look of things on my phone, i'd be waiting much longer.
I looked down the street from the hospital I was at. I remembered an old friend, Johnny Irons.
Happy go lucky chap. 
"wanna ride?" Taxi cab cruising slowly window cracked open.
"No I think i'm going to visit a friend."

"Johnny are you home?" Noone was there, I let myself in. A one story wooden house spacey and simple.
Made a coffee and the sound of a v8 motor came bursting aggressively through the walls and windows.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" He gave em a confused hug not quite knowing the quotient of affection to put into it.
"I was up at the hospital" I answered.
"Oh I know how that goes, my Dad is there in the next room, his healths not great."
"Is he okay, I let myself in, you wanna check on him?"
"No he will be up soon, last night he went on a bender."
"Can't be good for the old fella"
"Lost his job and mum left him the same week."

We looked down at our coffee.
"Wanna help me paint?"
"Yeah why not?" I volunteered.
His sister Mary walked in from the street "Is Dad up yet?"
"No he'll be sleeping in, Bender."
"We've got to find him a job or he's going to go mad."

The deck in his back yard was well built.
"Perfect for summer evenings"
"Yep" Johnny responded.
"So how's work?"
"Bro I need to come clean, I also lost my job. Also hung over."
"Terrible news, do you want to come work at my farm"
He just looked at me as if offended.

"I just came back this morning from getting a new tattoo."
"what it is it?" 
Johnny lifted his shirt from the waist to reveal a set of skulls hovering below his belly button.
"Oh wow" I pretended.
"scored some primo hash, wanna smoke?"
"Nah man left that stuff, it brings me down."

Our paintbrushes slowly made their way through the entire coat.
"what makes you make fucking shit decisions every single time man? You speak like your homeless your close to forty five, you still do drugs and get tattoos."
"Oh harsh bro"
"Yeah you are getting old and it seems you just don't care. All your problems seem to stem from the fact that you just don't give a fuck about anything, you didn't even ask me why I was at the hospital" I added
His father walked in "What the fuck are you talking to my son like for faggot?"
"Oh you must be the shitkicker father, did you not teach your son to be a man?"
"Fuck you arsehole "He picked up the whole can of paint and threw it at my face.
"Ah, get your Dad under control."
Johnny took a swing at me but missed.
His father exchanged blows with me until we were both exhausted, he fell down and opened his cigarette pack. I positioned myself to kick him in the head as hard as I could but instead.
"You even gave up the fight so you could feed your smoking habit." I sneered.
"Ill get my shotgun" Johnny ran into the house 

I ran toward the back gate that connected onto another adjoining to the hospital. Tripped on the last step and hurt my shoulder.
"Go get fucked losers, where do you think you are, this is not some fucking slum. Shitkickers."
As I walked into the street bleeding head. I looked right to where the road would take me home, and looked back up toward the hospital, maybe it was the paint fumes, but it seeemed that six story building was grinning down at me.

On my way back to the hospital, the taxicab man passed by me.
"Shoulda taken the ride chap." 

Cordiality before the rain

 "are you coming in next week, same time" The thin student asked enthusiastically as he opened the cafe door to leave.
"Sure" I said.
"I have to go and get my yaught repaired, but I think i'm going to stay for another coffee." Arnold said as if showing interest.
"We can have a class while you have your coffee." I said.
The door opened and Marcio entered with a huge suitcase, greasy hair, thick glasses and heavy Brazilian accent. "Hi Arnold, let's get some privacy and talk about your english?"
He nodded and the two sat over by the window looking out of the ground floor of the condominion.
"Did you think you were the only english teacher here" Andressa said from behind the cafe counter, bursting into laughter before finishing her last sentence.
"He made out we were having class, though?"
"You must have done something to upset him."

The summer rains came in at 17pm and another resident appeared closing umbrella somehow opening the door with his back and circling in.
"Hi Teacher are you available in a few hours?"
"I have to leave before the rains, Let's set a time later near my house?"

"You can't leave" Andressa said bringing a cup of coffee over to my bench.
"This is from Arnold" Arnold gave a wave by the window.
"I'm here looking for work, people are scheduling classes then not turning up, postponing and giving excuses. What would you do if you were me."
"I'd find another job." She said directly.

"Good advice" I grabbed my stupid brown teachers bag pushed the door open, drizzle was attempting to set in. Dusk was already on me. The streets were chaos with traffic.
I heard quick rehearsed footsteps behind me.
"Hey boss You need to slow down and see what's happening" a street thug.
I turned and nervously continued away from the building my back to him.
Pretending not to listen and inadvertently encouraging him even more.
"You need to slow down and hand over that bag you got right there."
His eyes returning from his last crack hit. "I can shoot you from here"

The street was full and I was going to get mugged. He came to my side weaving through cars.  His gun looked so well organized, his face looked a complete mess. 
"You can remember me tomorrow when you wake up, or you can remember me from hospital, if you don't die" He insisted.
"Ok here's my bag" I gave in, no one was going to save me and no cops or security were in the vicininty. 
Before i could pass it to him, an oncoming car from my transgressor's rare hit him lifting him half a meter above the car and sending him colliding into the gutter futher injuring his arm on a car parked there.

The car that hit him stopped ten meters down the street and reversed a further five meters in my direction. "You don't earn enough to be giving your money away to bandits." The smile, the irony the unexpected surprise. I attempted a response but shock kept me mute. Arnold in his luxury company car.
"See you next week for classes, Andre my other teacher didn't work out."
"What do you mean he was great, you guys seemed to be getting a long really well." I protested.
"Bad breath"
"Did you tell him so that he wouldn't make the same mistake with the next one?"
He laughed imperviously.