*Fiction — November 27, 2019
The Zero Loop
NOTE FROM THE WRITER
Think of this work as theatrical poetry taking cues from dance by Ralph Lemon, Okwui Okpokwasili
CAST
Water
Brick
Youngster
Man
Woman
A Dark-Skinned Body
SETTING
A bricked cave at the bottom of The Atlantic Ocean
A bricked cave at the bottom of The Atlantic Ocean
________________________________________________________________
OCEAN
A voice rings out a song scratched and lacquered by time’s brutality- aka Lena Horne in her later years
A voice rings out a song scratched and lacquered by time’s brutality- aka Lena Horne in her later years
WATER
Will you receive me
When I return
Will you receive me when I return
Will you receive me
When I return
Will you receive me when I return
Near an archway
A dark-skinned body articulates the space with sharp movement taking breath as regime – blue and yellow sequins echo and respond to the call
A dark-skinned body articulates the space with sharp movement taking breath as regime – blue and yellow sequins echo and respond to the call
CAVE
The brightest sunshine ever – beautiful and excruciating cuts through an opening
A kitchen table – Man faces Woman
The brightest sunshine ever – beautiful and excruciating cuts through an opening
A kitchen table – Man faces Woman
WOMAN
You smell like failed hubris
Icarus falling back to earth
You smell like failed hubris
Icarus falling back to earth
MAN
You are death coming up my
esophagus
taking over my whole world mouth.
You are death coming up my
esophagus
taking over my whole world mouth.
WOMAN
Is this is my destiny
my behemoth existence?
Fuck
Is this is my destiny
my behemoth existence?
Fuck
MAN
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
A youngster with an air of hopeful responsibility enters
YOUNGSTER
it’s just about getting through
Getting through the day
choosing yes
it’s just about getting through
Getting through the day
choosing yes
WOMAN
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
YOUNGSTER
Choosing life
Choosing life
MAN
I hate hope
to be honest
I hate it I hate it hate it
I hate hope
to be honest
I hate it I hate it hate it
WOMAN
Hope is a stupid commitment.
Hope is mundane
an accountant’s life
Hope is a stupid commitment.
Hope is mundane
an accountant’s life
The ocean seeps through the cracks
WATER
Oh your Daddy’s
rich and your ma
is good lookin
Oh your Daddy’s
rich and your ma
is good lookin
MAN
The nirvana of zero
when you balance a checkbook
zero is what you are looking
for. Zero is good
The nirvana of zero
when you balance a checkbook
zero is what you are looking
for. Zero is good
YOUNGSTER
Zero means empty
We have zero items
of food in this house
the cupboards
are bare
Zero means empty
We have zero items
of food in this house
the cupboards
are bare
WOMAN
Pointless eating
and for what?
Pointless eating
and for what?
MAN
Yeah what are we eating for?
Yeah what are we eating for?
WOMAN
To shit?
To shit?
YOUNGTER
Hopefully you are eating to live
Hopefully you are eating to live
WATER
The Fish are Jumpin’
and the cotton is high
The Fish are Jumpin’
and the cotton is high
MAN
The cupboards are bare
because zero is balance
nirvana is emptiness
The cupboards are bare
because zero is balance
nirvana is emptiness
WOMAN
Emptiness is peace
Emptiness is peace
YOUNGSTER
So dark
darkness is death
So dark
darkness is death
MAN
Black is zero
Zero is Nirvana
Nirvana is Black
Black is zero
Zero is Nirvana
Nirvana is Black
WOMAN
Blackness is perfection
Blackness is perfection
OCEAN
Near an archway
Near an archway
A dark-skinned body continues articulating
WATER
Will you receive me
When I return
Will you receive me
when I return
Will you receive me
When I return
Will you receive me
when I return
Youngster leaves the cave passing a floating brick
BRICK
There is one time
you left me
when you hurt
I hurt you
and you left
but now I see you
I see that you are small
and don’t know anything
You didn’t know anything
then
but I didn’t know that so
I looked at you with too much
hope not knowing
I held you in esteem
too high now knowing
what you didn’t know
I walk away knowing
the largeness of knowledge
and that beyond what you didn’t
know what I didn’t know
Is myself
I know now
the largeness
and I can walk away
I do walk away
you still don’t know
what you didn’t know
that not knowing is so
big that you never will
see
But I see
and I walk away
There is one time
you left me
when you hurt
I hurt you
and you left
but now I see you
I see that you are small
and don’t know anything
You didn’t know anything
then
but I didn’t know that so
I looked at you with too much
hope not knowing
I held you in esteem
too high now knowing
what you didn’t know
I walk away knowing
the largeness of knowledge
and that beyond what you didn’t
know what I didn’t know
Is myself
I know now
the largeness
and I can walk away
I do walk away
you still don’t know
what you didn’t know
that not knowing is so
big that you never will
see
But I see
and I walk away
Youngster covered in blue and yellow sequins continues upward
taking breath as regime articulating everything with the sound of their
bodies’ movement
taking breath as regime articulating everything with the sound of their
bodies’ movement
Originally published in No Tokens Issue No. 8. View full issue & more.