chapter zero

It was Oscar Wilde who once said...

"I love

talking

about nothing.

It is the only thing

I know anything

about."

Chapter Ten

excerpt from "The Doorman"

"Doors are often symbolically endowed with ritual purposes."

"Guarding it, receiving keys to it, or being granted access to a door can have special significance."

STEEL SYMPHONY 1

I was in the D.I.Y. store,

I was purchasing a 250 ml mix of "Steel Symphony 1" in matt emulsion.

The shop assistant said to me ....

"There was another body found hanging in the cemetry. It was cordoned off this morning."

(The cemetery is located next to the D.I.Y. store.)

"Thats the third one this year." he continued

and then he added

"Probably a crack addict."

chapter eight

The other day I was walking with a friend.

She was telling me about a friend of hers, whom she described as being...

"...another of [her] Lame Ducks."

She then listed, out loud, the others in her collection.

Personally, "Lame Duck" isn't a phrase I ever use.

But I assume I know precisely what she means.

I have a few in my life too.

And I couldn't help but secretly wonder,

as we continued walking,

does she have any idea that she counts as one of mine?

CHAPTER 7

I dream about my childhood home.

Andy Warhol has redecorated it.

He has made the Hall, the Stairs and the Landing completely Yellow.

Flourescent Yellow.

It is beautiful.

"I am not a number - I am a free man."

I am walking down the road.

I pass by a couple of men.

I hear one man say to the other,

".....oh i see. You were trying to have a number 2 when they walked in...."

I've never learnt the actual meaning of that antiseptic numeric code.

"Number 2."

It rhymes with "poo".

But is it referencing Shit or is it Piss? I really don't know.

In our house, when I was a kid, we referred to Shit as "Big Jobs".

CHAPTER five

It's getting dark outside.

Children's voices can be heard in the distance.

There's a bad smell coming from the drain.