[hello.]
tree man sit in peace
perched and looking to the skies
prepares to take flight
[do ocean men dream?]
of taking the hand of the people
when sleeping so softly under the sea?
pleads of being taken to the land
of which they've known
shout forth from the surface.
do they listen? do they slumber?
do they want to take us by the hand
or are our collective cries in vain?
[shh...]
another tree man
scours the terrain, searching
a hunt has begun
[Q&A]
did the bird move or are your eyes weak?
encounter deception
are those potato chips in that bag?
look again
check to be sure
is it?
good.
wear a suit?
of course
salt granules?
too coarse
drink a potion?
concoction
smell the air. what do you smell?
good questions. good answers. let's move on.
[meat]
you smell meat.
someone is cooking.
you are cooking.
people are waiting.
you are sweating.
you are scared.
someone stops cooking.
people stop waiting.
you were cooking.
you are cooked.
you can no longer smell meat.
[apple]
you smell apple.
are you eating an apple?
no?
then who is?
raise your hand if you are eating an apple.
erica, put your hand down.
you know you can't eat
organic lifeforms anymore.
no. not pomegranates.
Stop throwing the chairs.
Put the chairs down.
Okay, security?
Thank you.
So nobody here has an apple?
no one?
seriously?
hmm...
[magnet]
you smell magnet.
it is cold here.
in a metallic orb
where the sound of a plane's engine
chopping the air
and tossing up dust
fills every unoccupied crevice.
in your pocket is six bullet shells
clinking like loose change.
you know how you got them
but you'll never tell.
metal clanks against metal
and your teeth feel like
tinfoil scraping chalkboard
as the engine grows louder.
the wind picks up.
it picks you up.
smells like a magnet
and you silently wish
you hadn't tried to escape.
[dry wall]
you smell drywall.
you don't know where you are
or how you got here.
it’s cramped and arid.
you can’t feel your limbs.
you can’t move your appendages
but the dry wall covers you
like a blanket of nasal bees,
stinging your nose with every inhale.
maybe it'll be better
to not breathe at all.
let's try.
let’s all try.
[grass]
you smell grass.
you are lying in a field
face first.
you passed out while collecting dust samples.
the grass is covered in dust.
achoo.
bless you.
someone is calling your name.
well, not really.
everyone here knows you as a scientist.
they call you "doctor" or "doc".
someone is calling out to you.
you get up and pick up your vials.
you place them in a bag.
you begin to stride back to town.
you are a scientist.
you collect dust samples.
and for the past few summers
you came up here.
and it's always the same.
[ocean]
you smell ocean.
and you sleep.
as surface dwellers scream.
and you silently dream.
the journey
to the corner
of the globe
is a real trip.
[f i n a l e]
begin the mourning
ring the bells high and truthful
the long branches creak
silver birds play tricks
slipping arsenic in tea
chirping merrily
rain smiles sweetly
and dies a terrible death
no one remembers
green leaves grow and swell
bountifully the sun cries
an inhale is heard
this tale is over
you never know what happens
after the last fact