The 30 second slipper

the slipper song

He went out screaming. they tazed him. the Miami audience watched silent, some filming as the 5 or 6 cops
brought him ‘under control’. He was resisting arrest, afterall. resisting for having opened his big mouth during a political speech with John Kerry.
I saw that on my little computer screen and was mezmerised. The following day I went to buy a pair of slippers for my son.
At home he put it on and 5 minutes after the slipper broke.
music
The next day I return to the store. I don’t have the receipt but I tell the manager that
he sold me defective merchandise.
I tell him last month Matel recalled 850,000 toys, many being Barbie accessories.
recall music
He tells me ‘No Mister, No Mister, can’t do anything for you" and he spits out his store
policy like some kind of unraveled toilet paper
I warn him not knowing that the juices of the the Miami incident were flowing in my blood, in my brain;
social and economic injustice was burning on my lips and for all my life I had been
a silent pillow case, saying nothing, nodding, accepting whatever and all et alles
I warn him that he will regret this
loose sales
loose clients
I warn him

music crescendo

I rush down to the slipper section where an old lady is browsing.
I hold out my broken slippers and say:
"Hey lady, watch out, broken slippers here"
She looks at me with watered eyes, acknowledgeing she walks away.
walking away music
The security guard arrives
He’s suddenly pushing me
pushing me back, I resist
what! Am I on youtube!
I hold back. Am I buffering?
Buffering in a shoe store?
"Leave me alone brother, don’t taze me!" I hear in my ear
But he is pushing me hard and, in front of all the people I back
out, my hand holding the broken slippers in the air.
Tibet is now arising

Where can I ever go to buy a slipper?

disfunctional music

The chicken and the ball

He came home from his organic spree

full of non-pesticidal cheer
to boil, fry and steam and add
a twinkle of fleur de sel

This territorial ritual went on for years
until one day confronted with
the 20euro chicken

Taken aback
eyes transfixed
hands trembling as they moved to touch
the refrigerated plastic film

Then, on impulse and going against generations
of good sense and economy that were emblematic of his family
he bought it!

He rolled it back home in his caddy yet
with every step he neared his threshold
guilt amassed
In the kitchen a fight ensued with his wife
the 20 euro chicken in the middle
"how could it be" "never in my life" could be heard through the walls
the sky seemed to darken and head down, he set off for a walk.

An hour later he came back with a giant ball
one of those bouncing exercise balls in resplendent blue
It needed careful inflation
with a "cure" time of 24 hours; soft music and warm temperature

During the ball’s incubation
"how nice" and "how blue and bouncy" could be heard
the chicken was eaten
and that was that.

International Womens Day

It is international women’s day
And I am full of ideas
of improvise and surprise
to express in manly manor
gratitude
for
the unwavering role you play as mother/educator and
professional
like a motor of sunshine
you inter-weave roles
between lightness and gravitas
always bearing the future in scope
Today is your day
may a million petals descend from the sky
take a deep breath, luv,
tonight the dishes are mine.

Taser Talk

Tasers have now won approval for family use. After several tests by the Arizona company that produces them a new version called the MA 26b ‘b’ for babyhas been given the green light by the department of health.The trail period lasted one year and involved over 1000 participants between the ages of 2 and 16. The children were tased with 40,000 volts for 5 seconds.“It’s a wonderful tool for child rearing” exclaimed Cindy Bell,a mother of 2. “When my six year old talks back I just give hima little shot of Tase and he just stays still –ok shaking a little-for a good 20 minutes. That gives me time to take care of errands that before I never had time for. “Before I used to threaten my girl with a baseball bat”said Tod Gateway. “That was disturbing to the neighbors and even my dog got upset. Now with the new MA26b, when I pull it out of its sleek holster and point the yellow and red nozzel, everyone,except my daughter, just goes ‘WOW’. The children Taser sales are going so well that the companyintends to open new production sites on all continents.