Play

(Turkey segment)

*Turkey calling*

Five seconds later

*Female turkey calling*

Followed by

*human laughter*

*Old disgruntled man speaks* ‘Imagine laughing about something that creature has been doing for millions of years… what a disgrace.’

(Moon segment)

*Smooth jazz starts playing*

‘The moon rises… does the child rise too? Or does he hold his grandmother’s walking cane and smile and dance? Does his mother approve of such behavior, or does she sleep whilst he is awake? Does he play when the birds are asleep? Does he look up at the moon?’

(Father segment)

‘He drinks the same milk as his son drinks.’

*Woman’s voice* ‘From the fountain?’

‘Yes, with joy and laughter. You might see it happen when you look through the glass.’

‘The glass?’

‘The front window yes, as expected, but also the… hourglass. This is the pocket edition his son has been using for years every time he is brushing his teeth. And before you ask, he does not floss.’

(Longing segment)

‘Plans are being made to rob a bank. Multiple banks. On beaches, someone is trying to humiliate an infant. A grocery bag is ripping, contents are about to be spread out on the pavement. These three events, though vaguely defined, are happening and it’s not a problem. On the contrary, it’s refreshing to be sidelined and wait for stuff to happen. It won’t be long now, the sign will be given very soon.

*Twin Peaks jazz, a sleazy walking bass*

(Imelda segment)

‘Imelda? Is that you? Why are you laughing? You poor thing, you are crying. No, you’re… laughing. Has the piper at the gates smiled at you? Surely, he did not just give you free passage without some form of warmth, greeting, courtesy, complex salutation, cryptic writing, a suggestive stance, etc.?’

*turkey calling*

‘You poor thing, you are really crying because the turkey does not stop calling. He is distressed and you are too. Poor Imelda, my little feeler of the world.’

(Courier segment)

‘The courier came and watched. He looked through the front window and saw what we had done, saw what we were doing. What he had seen and what he saw wasn’t much, but normally, it is not done. What is done is the look is onward and away goes the body that follows the embarrassed mind. At the end of the street, we think back and smile: what if I had watched and kept watching like the steadfast, fearless courier? What if I had actually seen those normal things that others do? Those family things that normal people are familiar with?

(Marketing segment)

‘The beautiful advertisement nestled itself in my dreams, where beaches were seen through camera lenses of the highest quality. I was the highest bidder and won the endless holiday that stopped me in my restless tracks. My body fell down on the pristine sands and my mind smiled as the air became eternally warm and the water mellow. The ad was made by a gal on her computer that had many coffees with sugar and milk. You could practically taste the milk and the sugar, sticking your tongue out like this: *showing tongue. I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that this woman has got promoted and is now directing a team of masterminds. Capable of turning off the minds of others by turning them onto something they created with dedication and love.’

(Industrial segment)

‘Preposterous! The red desert has fallen. Industrial decline is imminent. Vast terrains shall fall to emotion, where fairies rule the daydreams and smoked ham is what personnel truly miss if they were in their right minds. You can’t ignore the spotless blue above, seeing as lagoons are poisoned or no longer with us. Acid rain is beautiful in concept, though when you hide in caverns, where we lived in pre-times, the novelty wears off quickly. The situation becomes sticky and icky, the men do not want the women and vice versa. The blue sky beyond the cave entrance becomes what it truly is: a non-poetic, neutral, bizarrely unbeautiful backdrop, a washed out curtain last seen in 80s pop album covers where the mind soon ignores the eyes of the smiling artist and sees the curtain.’

(Giantess segment)

‘I did not throw myself at her feet. Just found myself to be sitting. I did not see her come closer; she towered above me and it was refreshing, like a carbonated drink with small chunks of ice on a blistering hot day. It was a Sunday and time did not matter. Our kids lived; one drew on paper and the other almost slept. I looked up and smiled; she did not and thus she looked fearsome. But she was not a person to fear or run away from. You normally wanted to give her a hug or cling to her feet when need be. And need be.’