__________________

When do you expect to start the laborious task

Of moving all his equipment

To the other side of town

Is that necessary?

Well-- here we have no privacy. Someone could come through that door at a particularly inappropriate moment.

_____________________


_____________________

Do you think these TV sets had anything to do with his desire for early retirement?

No. It wasn't his idea

Oh?

He was forced out

I see

_____________________


___________________

He came to me

Hat in hand

And made a pretty good case for establishing

A mutual surveillance network.

That's upsetting to hear

It shouldn't be

________________


__________________

His I.Q. was never tested:

It seemed irrelevant

Having met him only once--

Yes. You would have no basis for an opinion

_____________________________


________________________

Allowing his whole body to float,

The laws of nature understood very well

What was happening

_________


________________________

Do you really think it will work?

I don't know for sure

If you, of all people, don't have

One hundred pre-cent confidence--

Let me pt your mind at rest.

I have complete confidence it will work

__________________


________________________

Don't judge a book by it's cover.

I know what you mean. It was several years ago

That he turned to me, and putting his hands on my shoulders

looked deep into my eyes and seemed about to speak

when we were interrupted..

A similar occasion never arose

______________


______________

Don't think about t too much.

Apparent messages can come to us in

A variety of ambiguous shapes and signs,

Like a

Cloud drifting across the sky

At an inappropriate moment.

         (Pause)

If one were to base real life decisions

On such things--

Well, it probably wouldn't matter, would it.

_________________


__________________

It must be problematic

Like training for a rigorous

Athletic competition you have no reason

To believe will

'ever actually take place.

I can't think of a better excuse

_____________________


________

Even ten years ago

The links between events

Was always a possibility.

Now, on the contrary--

It's a vibration--

And that leads to narcosis.

Now tell me-- what value

Ever arose out of self induced

Narcosis.

Why do you say self induced

Don't kid yourself. I'm a man of my word.

____________________


                  **************

Does the machine has me in its clutches?

Death would be a good way to escape

Entering such a totally different realm is a mediocre solution

My point -- All solutions are mediocre

But mediocrity is my handle on things

Nevertheless, you do build structures of considerable fascination

Allow yourself to be captured by that fascination, and eventually emerge on the other side—

The other side of what.?

Listen to me again—

If I listen, I never escape.

         (Pause)

It's your silence is that seduces me

No, just remember that I’m the one trying to escape

        


                  *****************

How did you engineer this brief departure from your own private project

If I float temporarily across the surface of a temporarily suspended life-- do I intuit a depth that potentially sustains me?

What I know is this. If I sit in attendance, I am the one being slowly poisoned.

That’s your revenge

And your possible cure?

There are always 3 or 4 avenues of escape. As of yet, I haven't chosen

_________________


                  *************************

Is it true that if I asked you to give me advice, I’d have less of a share in my own freedom?

It would be by choice

I have no choice--  just infallible instincts, which I'm trying to escape.. That’s what I’m trying to escape. And this is a painful way to lead one’s life

Then visit me. At my house

When

Now. Tomorrow. Whenever you like

Where do I find you

That's the problem. Because I’ll be following in your footsteps.

(Pause) Which of us has the advantage

_________________


________________

I'm not saying you shouldn't have private feelings

But you don't encourage them

Well, are they going to move this project forward, or simply provide one more stumbling block

         (Pause)

Maybe it's not the feeling, it's the-- exposure of that feeling

_____________________


______________

Can we agree, his mind seemed capable of  performing several functions at the same time. I gave the illusion of speed, but what it really provided was a kind of super-stability.

He was one of my heroes, but since I realized that others would be less than sympathetic, I kept my opinions to myself

He would have approved

______________


_______________

This isn't the time or place for adding to the store of knowledge.

But-- suppose there's no turning back

Then, if we have to accept the inevitable, we can at least pay homage to those who preceded me

______________________


_____________

Never forget his  many sacrifices in the hopes that we, should the circumstances arise, would be similarly capable

I think about that a lot

I know you do. Perhaps-- too much even. That's why you seem to be, so often, self absorbed

But I'm not. I'm simply  waiting for the occasion

To most effectively

Contribute

Now that I understand that, I feel, closer

_____________________


___________________________

One side of me feels the pull of the unknown.

What about the other side

Well-- one doesn't have to reference that. I mean-- it's self evident

Yes, but-- are there still mountains --to climb--

I mean-- don't dismiss them because they seem relatively accessible. They've been named, haven't they.

That's my point.

He's already named -- every single one of them

____________________________


________________

Is the drugstore still open?

What do you need

At the moment-- nothing. But I like to be prepared

I wonder if that's possible

         (Pause)

My goals are-- relatively unachievable

He'd like that

Yes, I only hope that wasn't my only reason for choosing them

         (Pause)

Right now, I feel pretty good about myself.

I can offer you this, in lieu of--

Yes

________________


______________

Others have proceeded me. I know that

Maybe not

         (Pause)

You understand why I hesitate.

His is a vast arena

Such things happen

I can't relate to any such statistical averages. I can only operate in terms of what I see and hear and touch.

That's fair. As long as nothing else gets overlooked.

I promise you. I am eternally vigilant

That should be enough

_____________________


____________________

It surprises me to see you almost naked

I have nothing to hide

         (Pause)

You should consider that a golden opportunity

Well, just remember. I've been there before. The various options are no longer unexplored territory

That's why I feel comfortable in your presence.

Relatively comfortable.

________________________


A SHATTERING THOUGHT

THERE MAY BE NOTHING TO KNOW

AND ERROR COMES

ONLY BECAUSE WE TRY TO KNOW IT

THE SOLUTION IS

TO KEEP SMASHING YOURSELF

UNTIL YOU BECOME-- WHOLE

TO FIND SOMETHING TRULY NEW

GUARD AGAINST ANY METHOD

OF INVESTIGATION

(THIS RESPONSIBILITY LIES IN THE ENTIRE MAN

AND NOT IN ONE SPECIAL UNDERTAKING)

IT IS STILL SOMETHING TO HAVE LIVED

THOUGHT

AND FOUGHT WITH ONESELF--

EVEN IF NO ONE ELSE EVER FINDS OUT ABOUT IT

BE INDIFFERENT TO THE QUESTION

OF WHETHER YOU WILL PREVAIL.

ONLY FIND OUT WHAT YOU SENSE

IS THERE; THAT'S ALL

NEVER TELL ME WHO YOU ARE

I WANT TO WORSHIP YOU

SOMETIMES THINGS GET SO CLOSE

THEY IGNITE EACH OTHER.

SUCH ILLUMINATION, COMING FROM CLOSENESS

IN WHATEVER REALM--

THIS IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR

A PHILOSOPHY OF INTERSECTIONS.

CONDENSATION WITHOUT FALSIFICATION

NOT TO-- TAMPER --

WITH SUDDENNESS

A BETTER WAY OF LISTENING;

LISTEN TO THE UNEXPECTED,

NO LONGER KNOWING

WHAT ONE IS LISTENING TO

THE DEFINITIVE STATEMENT IS

THE LEAST CONCLUSIVE.

WHAT IS VAGUE OR CARELESS

ACQUIRES SUBSTANCE

BY VIRTUE OF WHAT IT LACKS


TO LIVE IN SECRET

COULD THERE BE ANYTHING

MORE WONDERFUL

NEVER SHARPEN YOUR THOUGHTS TO A POINT.

BREAK THEM OFF

IN THEIR NAKEDNESS

WHEN EVERYTHING FITS TOGETHER

AS WITH PHILOSOPHERS

IT NO LONGER MEANS ANYTHING.

DISCONNECTED

IT WOUNDS AND IT COUNTS

IT COULD BE

THAT CERTAIN IDEAS

ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE ANY EFFECT

BUT TO EXIST ONLY FOR THEIR OWN SAKE

BUT IN THAT CASE

UNDISTORTED. NOTHING MORE

TELL ONESELF CONTINUALLY

HOW FRUITFUL MISUNDERSTANDINGS

REALLY ARE.

COLLECT SUCH MISUNDERSTANDINGS

LIVING A LIFE OF WASTED MOMENTS

BUT MOMENTS WHICH LIGHT UP

SUDDENLY, ALL AT ONCE


DISMANTLE KNOWLEDGE

WITHOUT DAMAGING ITS COMPONENT

PERCEPTIONS

REMEMBER: THE GODS REACH PAST

EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US

AND YET SOME, NEVERTHELESS

FEEL TOUCHED

REJECT ALL PERCEPTION

ALL CONNECTONS TO WHAT HAS BEEN BEFORE

ALL INTERRELATIONS, FOLLOW-UPS- DISGUISES

REMEMBER; MAKING GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME

MEANS NEVER AMOUNTING TO ANYTHING

WITHHOLD MEANING; NOTHING IS AS UNNATURAL

AS THE CONSTANT UNCOVERING OF MEANINGS.

WHICH EXPLAINS THE POWER OF THE MYTH:

IT'S MEANING REMAINS CONCEALED

UNFINISHED THOUGHTS-- 

FREE OF ALL CALCULATIONS--

TOO SWIFT FOR THE HEAD THAT REGISTERS THEM

TO ASK

HOW THIS MIGHT THIS BE USED

DEGRADED, HUMBLED

THE ONLY HOPE IN DEFYING DEATH-- 

IS THAT THESE MOMENTS

MUST REMAIN FRAGMENTS

NOT ORGANIZED, NOT UNIFIED.

FOLDED BACK INTO DEATH

WITHOUT BEING CORRUPTED

BY THE SYSTEM OF THE BEAST

NOTHINGS IS MORE UNBEARABLE

THAN THE MECHANICS OF THINKING.

FOR THAT REASON

DISRUPT ITS  PROGRESSION

AFTER EACH REGISTERED MOMENT

ALL LEAPS IN KNOWLEDGE

OCCUR SIDEWAYS

THE WAY KNIGHTS MOVE

ON A CHESSBOARD

 ANYTHING THAT GROWS IN A STRAIGHT LINE

AND IN A PREDICTABLE MANNER

IS WITHOUT SIGNIFICANCE.

THE SKEWED AND LATERAL KNOWLEDGE

IS ALONE, DECISIVE

*


Suppose I were to tell you that

The beauty of your physical presence

Seems

To flash important messages

(which obliterate the more questinable

body-factory

that I know is at work

beneath the surface of things)

1)

Probably, his

was a generation ready

to re-write history.

The problem was

Automatic glue

2)

Instructions in the new

Behavorial patterns

Fell through the cracks,

But something or other

flourished

3)

The giant step forward

was accompanied by musicians

in transit, hence

the destination solidified

4)

Certain messages

Flashed simultaniously;

Therefore a worrisome silence.

5)

The science of pheripheral

Vision in which

No discoveries

Could surface

6)

Having chosen a direction

He quickly

Populated

The realm behind his back


7)

I didn't feel protected

So I perform gestures

That anticipate

The application of a

Different realm of being from

This realm of being

8)

At the moment when

Everyone glances

That momentarily reals the truth.

Why is there still

That tangle of intention

9)

It couldn't be helped,

He depended on others to

Compress a life of

Indolence into one

Intense piece of informaton

10)

To be in the realm

Of the vulnurable

Where great plans,

Statistically,

Capture the imagination

11)

He was never able

To forget his roots

In spite of a brain

That in mis-firing,

flourished

12)

The figures folowing him

Were given secret names

But there was no need to understand

Their motives, they simply

Florished

13)

Turning ideas into physical reaity

Was no longer possible.

The world was

Something else.


_______________

There's somethig missing here. There's somehing missing in this environment.

(Pause) I can't help you. I'm not aware of anything missing

What could be missing.

You sense a gap, a void

Yes i do

But un-identifiable, of course.

If this void exists, and I believe it does, it will be impossible for us to invent a technique to uncover it, because it will continue to elude us BECAUSE of the very fact of it's existence.

         (Pause)

I do not feel good about this

Let me help by postulating the following.. . .

______________


Nobody plans to do you any harm

Believe me.

Nobody plans to harm you


ADDENDA:

Make no mistake. It's the escaped animals that promise happiness

I  count my blessings

Yes. And dreams do come true

In that, I exercise discipline.

Can you be even moe safe?

         (Pause) The scale of this operation has me hedging my bets

He who hesitates is almost invisible

Those are the depths I plunder

I took you for a man of the world

No, you see me vulnurable, but so very much alive

Take my hand

It's a bargan (Pause) Now, let's begin

____________


Careful--one false step and you're  perminant

This is my choice

Make that choice real and three dimentional

         (Pause)

Other things can develop in this environment, and I can be a passive observation point

Feeling no pain?

No pain

         (Pause)

Half of you is somewhere else

That means I'm totally vulnurable. How's that for something-- perminant!

______________


______________

Broken promises: again.

I fault it, myself. Then I hover, suitably, and everything is ok.

Right. Because I'm not looking

Oh, you have legenday surrogates, I believe.

C an you name them?

That would evaporate every last vestige of sincerity

How about Marge, Donald, Leslie Evans--

There's an aura to everything that comes out of your mouth

You mean, a chill

Yes, to the bone. Chilled to the bone I am

(PAUSE)

Blow on your hands.

Warm yourself with your own breath.

Oh?

_____________


I N








__________________

It’s very problematic

It’s like training for a rigorous

Athletic competition I have no reason

To believe will

'ever actually take place.

I can't think of a better excuse. Can you?

No. I can’t

_____________________


________

Even  just a year ago

Making links between events

Was always a possibility.

Right

Now, on the contrary--

Any such links, seem just a vibration--

that leads to self narcosis.

Ah, yes.

So tell me—please-- what value

Ever arose out of a self induced

Narcosis.

But Dutch--why do you say self induced

Don't kid yourself.

I'm a man of my word.

I believe you

____________________


                  **************

Tell me, Frenchy. Does the machine have me in its clutches?

There’s one good way to escape

I think-- ntering a totally different realm would be a mediocre solution

But Dutch -- All solutions are mediocre

Maybe mediocrity is my handle on things

Ah, you do build structures of considerable fascination my friend.

So--

Allow yourself to be captured by that fascination, and then-- emerge on the other side—

The other side of what.?

Listen to me again—

If I listen, I never escape.

         (Pause)

Maybe it's your silence is that seduces me

Just remember -- I’m the one trying to escape. Ok?

        

_________________


                  *************************

Is it true that if I asked you for advice, I’d have less freedom of my own?

It would be your own choice, Dutch

I have no choice--  I only have my infallible instincts, which I'm trying to escape.. Any trying to escape my instincts leads to a very painful way of living my life

Then come visit me. At my house

When

Tomorrow. Now? Whenever you like

Where do I find you

AH, That's the problem, Dutch . Because I’ll be following in your footsteps.

(Pause)

Then which of us has the real advantage?

_________________


________________

I'm not saying you shouldn't have private feelings, Dutch

Well--  you don't encourage them

Because-- are they going to move this project forward, or simply provide one more fuckin’ stumbling block

         (Pause)

Maybe it's not the feeling, it's just—showing those feelings

Maybe

_____________________


______________

Can we agree to this much-- my mind seems capable of  performing several functions at the same time. I Which gives the illusion of speed, though what it really provided is a kind of super-stability.

You were one of my heroes, Frenchy-- but since I  suspect other people will be less than sympathetic, I keep my opinions to myself

I would approve of that stratagy

Thank you

______________


_______________

Let’s just say. This isn't the time or place for adding to the store of knowledge.

suppose there's no turning back?

Well, if we have to accept the inevitable, we can at least pay homage to those who preceded us

Who

My lips are sealed, Dutch

I knew there was no turning back

______________________


______________

Other lumberjacks have preceded me. I know that

Maybe, maybe not

         (Pause)

Do youu at least  understand why I hesitate.

This is a vast arena, Ducth--

Such things can happen

I can't talk about statistical averages. I can only operate in terms of what I can see and hear and touch.

That's fair. As long as nothing gets overlooked.

. I am eternally vigilant

That should be enough

_____________________