Friday, September 22, 2006

 

DISTANCE

JEWEL and MELK, not together.

JEWEL
I left

MELK
I stayed

JEWEL
Because of the frenetic

MELK
Because of the frenetic

JEWEL
The sun-blocking buildings and pollution

MELK
Six languages I hear every day

JEWEL
The sense of entitlement

MELK
The world on every corner

JEWEL
They think everything orbits around these islands on the mouth of the Hudson

MELK
I stayed because there’s beauty

JEWEL
It’s dead there

MELK
There’s beauty, you have to come open to it, open

JEWEL
I did that

MELK
No

JEWEL
It altered my body

MELK
Your body

JEWEL
Yes

MELK
I thought that was

JEWEL
Maybe that too but




JEWEL
I left because

MELK
I stayed because

JEWEL
The air

MELK
The atmosphere

JEWEL
Because the narrowness

MELK
The focus

JEWEL
Somebody at a party, I don’t remember the somebody

MELK
Nick

JEWEL
Every punchline he told, the joke was always, here’s the stupidest thing to say, and he would say it

MELK
Jokingly

JEWEL
In a Southern accent

MELK
Joking

JEWEL
And when I said I was from Lexington

MELK
Joke-ish

JEWEL
He said “Howdy”

MELK
Okay




MELK
I stayed

JEWEL
I left

MELK
Because I came from out there

JEWEL
I went back home

MELK
The heartland, Indiana

JEWEL
Where the heart is

MELK
And there’s some nastiness

JEWEL
People smile at me

MELK
They smile, and smile, and hate you to your backside

JEWEL
Say good morning, total strangers

MELK
You know who scored highest on a manners study? They did a study, and guess who’s got the best manners, who holds open more doors

JEWEL
I know who my neighbors are

MELK
Take a guess

JEWEL
Trisha and Mike and their dog Pebbles

MELK
They’ve made it so you don’t even have to hold open doors out there, they just swing open by machine

JEWEL
On the other side, there’s Ellie, she’s getting on

MELK
They’re disconnected out there

JEWEL
I listen to her stories, they go on too

MELK
Saying “Hi,” meaning nothing

JEWEL
Her son hasn’t been by lately




JEWEL
I left

MELK
I stayed

JEWEL
Because the future

MELK
Because the future

JEWEL
Wasn’t there

MELK
Right here

JEWEL
I thought it was

MELK
I always knew

JEWEL
I dreamed

MELK
I dreamed

JEWEL & MELK
The future

MELK
A marble palace

JEWEL
A railroad and a shower in the kitchen

MELK
Poetry

JEWEL
Obscenity

MELK
You

JEWEL
You



JEWEL
I left

MELK
I stayed

JEWEL
Because

MELK
Because

JEWEL
You stayed

MELK
You left

JEWEL
For your ego

MELK
For your prejudice

JEWEL
For money

MELK
For arrogance

JEWEL
That was you

MELK
Wrong

JEWEL & MELK
That was you

JEWEL
I have tall trees and sunshine now

MELK
Museums all to my own

JEWEL
And in the place of psychic bruises

MELK
Instead of a lump on the couch

JEWEL
I have my life

MELK
Good on you

JEWEL
You stayed

MELK
You left

JEWEL & MELK
For what, possibly?

JEWEL
A coin in a junkyard

MELK
Any door can be broken down

JEWEL
is still garbage

MELK
and the kids inside aren’t safe

JEWEL & MELK
Everything bad is because of where you live




(Together.)

JEWEL
Hi.

MELK
Hey.

JEWEL
Hi.

MELK
OhmyGod hey.

JEWEL
Hey I’m -- I’m late, I don't wanna miss my...

MELK
Oh.

JEWEL
Yeah...



MELK
How are you?

JEWEL
Good.

MELK
Yeah?

JEWEL
Good. Happy.

MELK
Me too.

JEWEL
Good.

MELK
Goodness all around.

JEWEL
I’m um –

MELK
Late.

JEWEL
Yeah.

MELK
Don't be late.




MELK
Okay.

JEWEL
Right.

MELK
Should we...?

JEWEL
What?

MELK
Nothing. You’re late.

JEWEL
Yeah.

MELK
Run.




JEWEL
Right, ‘Bye.



(Separate again.)

MELK
Was it us, or was it where we were?

JEWEL
Was it the body or the mindset?

MELK
Why am I so angry all the time?

JEWEL
Why does nothing remain?

MELK
Who has the map

JEWEL
To the heartland?

END.

source material: the conversation starts here, then continues this, and more here. And if you really want some fiery screed, put this in your pipe and smoke it.

Labels: samples

posted by Dan 11:23 AM
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