The Pure Life of Dreams

February 4, 2022March 20, 2024

Grey Street, Grey Stores and What is Reel

Grey streets, grey stores and what is reel

I am in an open top convertible, silver, driving along a deserted street on the way to Mum and Mao Senior’s house. Or is it to my own?

There is nothing on the street. No people, no other cars, everything is grey with a thin film of dust, the skyscrapers in the distance, the strip malls, even the road itself. Until I see the bright lit yellow sign of a liquor store coming up on the right.

January 20, 2022April 25, 2025

Anxiety and Finding the Bathroom in a Hotel

I step out of the hotel and ask to hitch a ride in the back of a white van with a group of doctors. They also have to go to a conference, all of them dressed in white coats and talking amongst themselves about the day’s events. I check my papers, they’re in the case with me and we are headed downtown, the day bright with the early morning sun like you only find in Washington.

Then the van pitches suddenly to the right, down a steep spiral cobblestone street. We flit past old buildings covered with posters and tall enough to block out the sky.

“Woah!” the doctors cry out as they grip the door handles of the van.

I need to leave, it is the wrong way for me.

“Can I get out?’’ I plea with the driver, but only at the bottom, the van comes to a halt and the driver lets me go.

I am in a park, green manicured lawn, the walls on one side remind me of the Tower of London. Then I notice the doctors get out too and it becomes clear that they are actually sightseeing.

To get some directions I step into another hotel but realize I’ve forgotten something on the van. What was it? I have my wallet and my jacket jangles with keys. Whatever it was, it cannot have been important and first I need to pee.

“Can you tell me where the bathroom is?” I ask a woman in uniform.

She points up towards to the bar area. “Then go through to the steps on the other side”, she says.

I follow the sign through the bar, spot the entrance then slowly I descend slick orange and white marble steps glistening with moisture from below. The steps spiral down, each becoming more slippery, but instead of a bathroom I come to what looks like the steam room of a gym. There is a man behind the steamed up glass, whistling and the steps are fully wet now. I shouldn’t go in I think to myself, he is probably undressed and uncertainly, I turn back.

(Then I remember what it was, that I left my camera in the van, brand new, a pocket camera that I had rested between my thighs when in the van. It’s annoying, but it’s not my immediate concern.)

I am in a restaurant area when I ask the woman, I think she is the same person, “Where again is the bathroom?” But her answer is not clear.

“Look, I’m going to piss in that thing right there in the middle of the restaurant”, I retort, pointing at an oval shaped vase with toothed rim made of some sort of alabaster. It is pretty, but only a foot or so high, a strange place for it, in the middle of the restaurant. You could trip over the vase if you were not looking.

“You can’t do that!” she replies.

I take off my cardigan, and throw it on the ground in front of her for it is getting hot. Then I throw down my jacket, right there. A man comes into the restaurant, he doesn’t see it on the floor and steps right on the splayed out jacket.

“Hey!” I shout at him. “You’re standing on my jacket!”

He looks up at me threateningly, curls up his left sleeve and makes a fist to swipe me with. He is young, well built in a smart gray jacket; has a handsome face and short curly black hair.

I don’t want to fight. I feel an affinity with him… Instead it would be better for us to get a drink at the bar.

Photo by Stephen Bowler from PxHere

January 12, 2022October 22, 2022

Cheese Plates in the Conference Room, Now!

There is an announcement coming down from the CEO and we need to meet at conference room PS1 in a few minutes. Where is that?

I need to get some nicer clothes. I struggle to take off my socks. They are black but ripped and I cannot find any others. So I struggle them back on again. Then a shirt. In my wardrobe there are a few shirts but all are wrong for one or other reason. Once I’ve flicked through each shirt I settle on purple with hideous white stripes on the lining.

Now I need a jacket to cover the shirt and so I continue through the hangers. One I grew out of, the other is, No! The last is brown, bland, it will do. And I am ready.

January 6, 2022July 13, 2024

Breaking the Sweet Melancholy of the Past

We met Original Anne outside, by the tables of what was either a museum or a castle gift shop café. Cooper the Navel Gazer introduced myself and Liam to her. Anne was dressed in a neat blue shirt and ankle length skirt. Her hair was almost black and straight, and she wore it down, shoulder length.

We hugged, and she said softly “I missed you very much.” She had the hint of a Scottish accent.

I hugged her again much tighter and brought Liam into our hug. Emboldened I gave her a big kiss on her left cheek.

And as we left the café Liam started talking, describing in detail the places in London that had good bites to eat. It broke my melancholy and I was a little taken aback.

He has fancy tastes for the cafés and restaurants there, I explained to her.

Photo of the Holy Loch by Kloniwotski via Flickr

December 28, 2021October 22, 2022

Out on the Tiles in Chelsea

I am driving around town in a very fancy white car top down. Think I’m in Chelsea, because of the tall brown town houses in courtyards with gated parks.

In my hand I have a broken golf ball, a tiny stone poking from one end that I can push back into the ball with my thumb. And when I squeeze the ball from the other side, the stone pokes back out. I play with it, pushing, squeezing. It could cause some damage, but the stone doesn’t want to propel from the ball no matter how hard I squeeze.

I could try to throw it.