Chanting, Do Not Disturb

Famous surfers float in the waves just before they break on the beach. It's nighttime and there are hundreds of surfer hippies watching them. A full moon beams into the water. A fire pit roars, people drink and dance around it. Michael walks away from me taking Beckett with him. I stay and watch the surfers in the water. There are dolphin sharks swimming around them. Everyone claps and screams. A man with giant lips tells me stories, asks me questions. I'm intriguing to him and feel a relief in this intrigue. My phone buzzes. The men in the water stand up in applause. I bring the man's face close to mine. We kiss. His lips are a combination of all the lovers I've ever had. My cell phone says chanting do not disturb.  

Parade for one

A balloon man walks down the street on stilts. One large balloon dangles from a stick and a girl walks underneath along with an entourage of friends playing instruments, there are dogs too. I whistle to get them to stop. Can I have a card I say? Beckett would love this tiny parade dedicated to one person, her. The balloon man on stilts hands me a card, as soon as your done with this girl, can you please give me a call? Beckett is going to love this. I watch the girl smile as the balloon above her head bounces. Then I slip into a vintage store and peruse indigo textiles with friends and the boss above my boss. She's trying to be friendly, shows me all the stuff in the store she wants for herself. I claim I'm not buying anything and skip around the store taking pictures of things with my old camera with a viewfinder. It's difficult to frame things up at a distance I tell her. I take pictures of textures, rocks, the bathroom floor. I hope the balloon man calls.  

Kids and war

Floridian landscapes surround our vacation shack. It's boggy and hot. A tall man in a black suit stands inside the threshold. I hold Beckett's hand and turn the lights down low. Gun shots pop off outside. Outside the window we see pickups trucks drive by, their beds filled with young gangsters holding machine guns, faces covered in bandanas. It's war. They are all over the city. I try to lock the door before a teenage boy rips through the house to attack what he believes he should.  

On the same level

An earthquake shakes the theatre I'm in. Beckett is with me, Michael too. We are watching something about lions when the ground shakes and pillars crumble. The lights go out and everyone assesses what's happened. I'm worried about my friend across town. I'm supposed to meet him and I don't know how I can get to him. People bring in bags of food from the concessions and start eating loudly around me. An announcer says we should not drive, the roads are dangerous, there might be another earthquake coming. Everyone checks the news on their phone. Michael, who is now a blend of himself and my former boyfriend decides to go grab more food from his mom's house in Oregon city. There is a giant trunk filled with provisions for two weeks. I worry about him going alone, I don't want our family apart if another earthquake comes. Still he leaves. Beckett and I head downstairs to see some friends. They are all distraught and quiet. A homeless man eats what's been left in the fridge in a lazy boy chair. He's unfazed by the earthquake, thinks we are now all on the same level. He chews raw pork sausages from styrofoam. I wince.