It’s Only A Paper Moon
It was a few pieces of board. Strung lengthwise. Two-by-somethings at top and bottom. A slanting shard of wood between the two. Carried by two lads of indeterminate age.
I passed them in an intersection, on the way to an appointment. I was late. Running. Almost. I couldn’t stop to ask them why they carried that particular configuration of wood through a busy intersection. Borne between them. Leather and asphalt. Oxygen and wool.
Even though I didn’t have time, I stopped on the sidewalk. Looked back. Watched them disappear around a corner. Yellow cabs. Gasoline. Walk. Don’t Walk.
Where were they going with that Whatever-It-Was?
Perhaps it was a top for a table. Or a stage. For their apartment. That’s it. They shared an apartment, and they cooked elaborate dinners. Eaten at the bar in the kitchen.
Afterwards, they strung their stage between two saw-horses. And they danced. Full of moonlight. And cuisine. Ramen noodles with curry powder, perhaps. Or, Indian takeaway.
Whatever.
They spun. And they whirled. On their two-by-somethings, strung between supports. Hidden from the city. From their neighbors. From nosy tourists. They howled at the paper moon. A half-shard of a thing, suspended in the light-polluted sky.
Maybe they left the wood suspended there. Before they collapsed. Slept. They dreamed of moonlight and the pounding of sound upon wood. Until the next time.
Tonight.
Perhaps.
The beginning of a fiction series. Long overdue. Because, you must be well-and-truly-sick of reading about my life by now. So, what happened to that door? A series of possibilities. I’ll explore one or several. If it was even a door I passed at an intersection on the way to an appointment.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- There’s A Moon Out Tonight | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon) | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- He’s In Love With The Girl In The World | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- To The Moon And Back | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- By the Light of the Silvery Moon | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- Sea of Tranquility | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
Looking forward to more.
Me too, Roger. It’s nice to be bending my brain into public fiction again.
Love it. Love the images of the city and people in a private lives in such a public place. I can’t wait to see how this one develops. Hate to tell you because it’ll make you nuts, but this one is right up my alley too.
We’ll see where it ends up. Safe travels today.
Thanks dear. Was a good day and all ended well. You were one of the subjects of conversation!
Oh, and I had cilantro on my lunch, eaten hungrily in your honor.
I just vomited in my mouth.
Lovely…and timely for me…
I found this Russian artist yesterday and I am in love again… with the moon.
http://leonid-tishkov.blogspot.com/2009/01/private-moon-poems.html
I couldn’t resist that picture, though it did not turn out as I hoped it would.
OY! Now I’ll be singing this all day on my flights.
Safe travels, Lou and Lovely Miss TK.
All good, had a 30 minute hiatus between flights in ATL, but, got lucky and our next flight was only 9 gates away in the same terminal….Whew!
Home enjoying some liquid fermented grape…life is good.
Liquid Fermented Grape is good.
Glad you are safely home.
I look forward to seeing where or what this door leads to. I was particularly taken by this paragraph, which reads like poetry. Well done and keep on going:
“They spun. And they whirled. On their two-by-somethings, strung between supports. Hidden from the city. From their neighbors. From nosy tourists. They howled at the paper moon. A half-shard of a thing, suspended in the light-polluted sky.”
It feels good to not be plowing all this into private things, Penny. I hope it goes in a good direction.
Very intriguing! Can’t wait to read more!
Maybe I’ll moon you. Ha.
Oooh, a puzzle. Looking forward to the next episode…
It’s even a puzzle to me.
The thought that first came to mind is “this is beautiful.” Beautiful structure and choice of words…it drew me in and I like the thread of intrigue.
I hope it does not disappoint, Debra.
So often, your writing takes me (as it apparently did Lou today) straight to some fondly remembered piece of music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gapCK5_rMuY Will be fun to see where your story goes, but I’m in hopes that it continues to be lighthearted.
I love the Nat King Cole version. Lighthearted or no.
What a wonderful way to start my Monday. Yay!
Hope you aren’t still having snow.