don't look up to the stars

heaven protect 

children and sailors

sailors and drunken men

somewhere past the Kuiper belt

past the ring of babies unbaptized

where a star is just any star

that's where you'll see her

curled in smoke

don't look up to the stars

this nothing is permanent

this one is burning

(this one is burning so bright)

this one is glowing

(this one will not last the night)

the only forever is 

a nothing about nothingness

but that was all

before your time

this one's a baby

(this one is burning so bright)

this one is dying

(this one will not last the night)

the light in your eyes is

a prehistoric instinct

but that was all

before your time

this one exploded

(this one is burning so bright)

this one's forever

(this one will not last the night)

that star was extinguished

a million years ago

but that was all

before your time

heaven protect 

children and sailors 

sailors and drunken men 

under the pictures

[[ "they" is someone undefined, indefinite, unlikely, impossible, discovering the remains of the last of humanity huddled in our tunnels/caves ]] 

if they come for us

they will come for us

down in the tunnels

maybe they'll find us

what is left of us

under the pictures

we drew on the walls

pictures of animals

running for their lives

from us 

if they come on us

bones and dust of us

down in the tunnels

let them laugh at us

all that's left of us

under the pictures

we drew on the walls

pictures of animals

running for their lives

from us 

another end of the earth

1. = = = = = 

the end of the world drives a big car 

it lives at the end of street

the flap of a flag in the front yard

the odor of barbecued meat

2. = = = = = 

the end of the world was invented 

and scribbled in digital ink 

a thing that was stolen then rented

and turned to a glow and a stink

3. = = = = = 

the end of the world is American

the end of the world is Chinese

the end of the world is a certainty

the end of the world is Swiss cheese

bridge = = = = = 

the end of the world

leaps the border and flies

an intelligent cancer

that changes disguise

the end of the world

gets a burger and fries

chorus = = = = = 

the end of the world 

such a clever device

built of red burning sun

built of blue melting ice

the end of the world 

was the national pride

an infinity long

an infinity wide

and depthless

the burning girl

welcome to our fair city

let's climb the spiral staircase

and watch the river run

this is the floral clock

a clock made of many flowers

and a hidden mechanism

here is the tunnel of the burning girl

here is the tunnel of the ghost of the burning girl

here is the tunnel of the ghost of the burning girl screaming

the burning girl running

is it dark?

only light a match

the spillway

the reservoir

the falls

welcome to our fair city

take in the whirlpool
tumble down the devil's hole

a walk round the zoo

a tour from memory of our defunct zoo

the odor of urine in the monkey house

the mud stuck to the yak or buffalo

peacock feathers spreading into eyes

a talking myna behind naked wire

a nickel's worth of food to feed raccoons

legs made for running

wings made for flying

teeth made for tearing

claws made for grasping

eyes made for hunting

all set in amber

all animals, animals all, 

we only stand and wait

each is a color

the everlasting hues of late-summer

just before the leaves begin to turn

each is the color of a sweater or 

a cell phone or deep and permanent

humiliation or a candy-something

racer built to be deployed 

as a guaranteed chick magnet by a 

certain common variety of dude

in an airport

in an airport 

at the end 

of the world

we plug in

we recharge

our old hearts

and our noisy 

old brains 

we eat fast 

and make trash

that will outlive

our language

we take off

and we light

this atmosphere 

on fire

in an airport 

at the end 

of the world

we all burn 

strange bruises

I come home with bruises

I find in the morning

just where have I been to?

I wish I could tell you

beating the ones 

and the nones 

out of life 

till it gives off 

a pale blue glow

beating the moon 

and the sun 

round the sky

till we all hear

the first cock crow

I remember train tracks

I remember trains

I remember stations

I remember

telephone

telephone

telephone

telephone

telephone

telephone

telephone

telephone pole

a bridge 

and trees

I leave home with bruises

I find in the morning

just where am I going to?

I wish I could tell you

the thing that eats you

[[ random stuff from a cowboy movie, extrapolated ]]

it is of course the size that strikes you first and last and always in the west

the big forever lies across the surface where that red star goes to rest

this cloud approaching weighs as much as any locomotive made of steel

you measure empty none by none until the all alone is all you feel

out on the land

working the land

always the land 

working you

I would accompany my pa to town each month before the next full moon

we'd spend the evenings watching dancers clomp the boards and sing at the saloon

the actresses encouraged me to get behind the stage and watch them all

the exits and the entrances were always ready for a curtain call

out on the land

working the land

always the land 

working you

there is no place to hide a body when the wind turns every breath to dust

there is no place to hide a body when the rain clouds fatten up and bust

there is no place to hide a body when the snow begins to pile high

there is no place to hide a body when the sun returns to bake it dry

he said he saw the story of his life roll through the inside of his mind

then called out to a horse he used to have like he had somewhere else to find

but he had nowhere all before him stretched out in the dying of the sun

the thing that eats you when it eats you is of course the thing you left undone

out on the land

working the land

always the land 

working you

there is no place to hide a body when the wind turns every breath to dust

there is no place to hide a body when the rain clouds fatten up and bust

there is no place to hide a body when the snow begins to pile high

there is no place to hide a body when the sun returns to bake it dry

accusing moon

[[ this one's done - minimalist portrait of Greta Thunberg  ]] 

listen to her

it's almost midnight

under an accusing moon

there is no ask

there is no tell

we push through 

we push right through your hell

am I alarming?

our house is on fire 

am I alarmed?

I am the fire alarm

listen to her

it's almost midnight

under an accusing moon

= = = = =

done

= = = = =

[[ 

almost midnight = like the doomsday clock

toll / tolled / untold

bell 

tell  [[ a/the tell ]]

noun

noun: tell; plural noun: tells

1. (especially in poker) an unconscious action that is thought to betray an attempted deception.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_(poker)

A tell in poker is a change in a player's behavior or demeanor that is claimed by some to give clues to that player's assessment of their hand. A player gains an advantage if they observe and understand the meaning of another player's tell, particularly if the tell is unconscious and reliable. Sometimes a player may fake a tell, hoping to induce their opponents to make poor judgments in response to the false tell. More often, people try to avoid giving out a tell, by maintaining a poker face regardless of how strong or weak their hand is.

[[ in terms of her straight face? there will be no tell? 

there is no asking

there is no tell

we push through without you

]] 

]]

[[ 

Greta Thunberg 

https://heavy.com/news/2018/12/greta-thunberg/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/25/our-house-is-on-fire-greta-thunberg16-urges-leaders-to-act-on-climate

”So we have not come here to beg the world leaders to care for our future. They have ignored us in the past and they will ignore us again. We have come here to let them know that change is coming whether they like it or not.”

"Our house is on fire. I am here to say, our house is on fire."

capture her

• face - wide, round, pale, unsmiling, an accusing moon
• single-mindedness - she could be singing and dancing like her little sister, but she drops everything in her schoolgirl life to fix the world
• bravery - faces up to world leaders without blinking (literally?)

We are not begging -- We do not beg

We are done asking -- We do not ask

We are done

We are pushing through

Look at this pearl

Greta = short version of Margarethe = "pearl" - her wide round pale face?

tell (plural tells)

1. A reflexive, often habitual behavior, especially one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.

2. (archaic) That which is told; a tale or account. quotations ▼

3. (Internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.

]]

related 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai (Urdu: ملالہ یوسفزئی‎; Pashto: ملاله یوسفزۍ‎ [məˈlaːlə jusəf ˈzəj];[2] born 12 July 1997),[2][3] also known mononymously as Malala, is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.[4] She is known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children in her native Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Her advocacy has grown into an international movement, and according to former Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, she has become "the most prominent citizen" of the country.[5]

[snip]

On 9 October 2012, while on a bus in the Swat District, after taking an exam, Yousafzai and two other girls were shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism; the gunman fled the scene. Yousafzai was hit in the head with a bullet and remained unconscious and in critical condition at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, but her condition later improved enough for her to be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK.[7] The attempt on her life sparked an international outpouring of support for Yousafzai. Deutsche Welle reported in January 2013 that Yousafzai may have become "the most famous teenager in the world".[8] Weeks after the attempted murder, a group of fifty leading Muslim clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā against those who tried to kill her.[9] The Taliban was internationally denounced by governments, human rights organizations and feminist groups. Taliban officials responded to condemnation by further denouncing Yousafzai, indicating plans for a possible second assassination attempt, which was justified as a religious obligation. Their statements resulted in further international condemnation.[citation needed]

Following her recovery, Yousafzai became a prominent activist for the right to education. Based in Birmingham, she founded the Malala Fund, a non-profit organisation,[10] and in 2013 co-authored I Am Malala, an international best seller.[11] In 2012, she was the recipient of Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize and the 2013 Sakharov Prize.[12] In 2014, she was the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Kailash Satyarthi of India. Aged 17 at the time, she was the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.[13][14][15] In 2015, Yousafzai was a subject of the Oscar-shortlisted documentary He Named Me Malala. The 2013, 2014 and 2015 issues of Time magazine featured her as one of the most influential people globally. In 2017, she was awarded honorary Canadian citizenship and became the youngest person to address the House of Commons of Canada.[16] Yousafzai attended Edgbaston High School from 2013 to 2017,[17] and is currently studying for a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.[18]

listening station

[[ a song about the internet, in two voices, one robotic ]] 

voice 1	voice 2 (an electronic chorus)
I used to watch you picture yourself
something so pretty for others to see
I used to read you holding forth
you thought you knew how we mortals should be
this is your listening station this is your listening station this is your listening station	repeat repeat
where have you gone,  little-miss-six?	little-miss-six
are you still there, mister-28-flavors?	mister-28-flavors
silent-witness-496. are you still on the line?	silent-witness-496
this is your listening station this is your listening station this is your listening station	repeat repeat
are you waiting for me, penelope-8128-antelope?	penelope- eight thousand, one hundred  twenty-eight -antelope
did you find happiness, felicity-33550336	felicity- thirty-three million, five hundred fifty thousand, three hundred  thirty-six
this is your listening station this is your listening station this is your listening station	repeat repeat
come in from the world maximilian-8589869056	maximilian- eight billion, five hundred eighty-nine million, eight hundred sixty-nine thousand, fifty-six
how did you live, johnny-137438691328?	johnny- one hundred thirty-seven billion, four hundred thirty-eight million, six hundred ninety-one thousand, three hundred twenty-eight
send us a sign queenie-2305843008139952128	queenie- two quintillion, three hundred five quadrillion, eight hundred forty-three trillion, eight billion, one hundred thirty-nine million, nine hundred fifty-two thousand, one hundred twenty-eight
make up your mind undecidable-2658455991569831 744654692615953842176	undecidable- two undecillion, six hundred fifty-eight decillion, four hundred fifty-five nonillion, nine hundred ninety-one octillion, five hundred sixty-nine septillion, eight hundred thirty-one sextillion, seven hundred forty-four quintillion, six hundred fifty-four quadrillion, six hundred ninety-two trillion, six hundred fifteen billion, nine hundred fifty-three million, eight hundred forty-two thousand, one hundred seventy-six

[[ 

wistful

nostalgic
distant

people (or "people") vanished from social media, blogs, everywhere online

the immense numbers to emphasize a number of things -- distance, number of people, connections, operations, absurdity, anonymity, encryption, infinity, meaninglessness

as part of their online names, use perfect numbers for some reason. because they're perfect?

make them increasingly long

and finish by just reading out the long numbers

]]

modern living

[[ the whole thing is silly, a bad action movie script in a song - any part of it could be deleted or mixed and matched elsewhere ]] 

= = = = =

[[ sounds like a health regimen at first (take the stairs) or a home design magazine, but... no, it's how to take a building? what's going on? be vague -- words are pictures, noise ]]

skip the elevator

take the stairway

stay alive
for one more day

keep your head down

blow a mouse hole 

step next door
for rock and roll

door to door

wall to wall

floor to floor

modern living

= = = = =

[[ now we are in "the call is coming from inside the house" territory ]]

we could be underground

we could be on the air

we could be one small sound

we could be on the stair

we could be one old man

we could be in the trees

we could be on the phone

we could be all the bees

= = = = =

[[ escalation - scary guys threatening to do bad stuff  ]]

what if we watch every keystroke you make?

what if we hear every word?

what if we told all your enemies about you?

what if we heard? what if we heard? 

what if your package blew up in your face?

what if your home is on fire?

what if your family vanished forever?

what if we slip through the wire?

= = = = = 

[[ scary guys taunting their watchers ]]

you think you got us all?

we smell your dinner cooking (you need a new cook)

we see your curtain moving (peek-a-boo)

we hear your faucet dripping (I know a good plumber)

we feel the cloth she's wearing (good material)

we lick the lipstick (now we're licking your lips)

you cannot warthog

or predator us gone

now everyone has

a bomb and a drone

you like to watch us?

are you listening?

are we in Pine Gap?

or in Alice Springs?

go out to walk and  

watch the dust

in the evening

move in the evening

move in the evening

= = = = =

[[ scary guys taunting their watchers ]]

sink into the city

building by building

stairwell by stairwell

running down

sink into the city

down to the asphalt

down to the river 

flowing through

[[ contradictory images -- scary guys shot up or controlled by others or walking away or unreal? -- ambiguity is the point ]]

watch a puppet body

shaking on strings

watch a puppet body 

shake and walk away

this is a world 

we must move

to and through 

and from and under

to and through 

and from and under

to and through 

and from and under

to and through 

and from and under

= = = = = 

= = = = = 

the beach

used to be a beach here

we played in the sand

you'd never know now

without being told

hey, shut up, grandpa

everyone knows that

it's all your fault for

being so old

hey, shut up, grandpa

why don't you go and

dig your own grave and

jump in the hole

hey, shut up, grandpa

we're all so young and

we're all so smart for

being so young

nobody young was ever dumb

used to be peace here

we lay in the grass

you'd never know now

without being old

hey, shut up, grandpa

it's all your fault for 

having been born and

living too soon

hey, shut up, grandpa

here's a new product 

we hope will let us

move to the moon

hey, shut up, grandpa

here's a new model

throw out the old one

things'll be fine

nobody young was ever dumb

if you could stand

[[ another horizon/boundary ]]

if you could stand

on the surface of the sea

be a tinpot Jesus

on the surface of the sea

you would see  

for three point one miles 

in any direction

you would be 

the ruler of all 

the fish in the ocean

the line that separates earth from sky
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the line that divides all visible directions

three point one miles  

in all directions at once

with a five foot seven

tinpot Jesus standing still

look what we've done

look what we've done

we had a plan of attack

lined up our forces

then went out for a snack

look what we've done

we had a world here

put things together

then went out for a beer

we took out a wrench

and put parts together

we took out a wench

and put parts together 

now 

everything is going,

going, going, gone.

everything is going wrong.

now 

everything is nothing

nothing is everything

everything is nothing again.

we had the birds 

in the trees

now we have no birds

now we have no trees

now we have no have

now we have no we

no now no now

looks like we're done

a stack of 45s

[[ part one ]]
a stack of 45s - my sister abandoned
a stack of 45s - before she went away
a stack of 45s - my sister left behind her
a stack of 45s - I used to play

[[ part two ]]
a stack of 45s - a stack of 45s
when the smoke cleared, the only thing left
a stack of 45s - a stack of 45s
she did the dances they danced in the day
a stack of 45s - a stack of 45s
record player dropping song after song
a stack of 45s - a stack of 45s

[[ dance break ]]
and she would
snap the bubblegum
and she would
scrape the sticky gum from offa her shoes
(offa her shoes and walk away)

[[ part three ]]
put it on - put on the one about a new combination
put it on - put on the one about a boy and girl
put it on - put on the one about keeping together
put it on - put on the one about falling apart
put it on - put on the one about the wind in the city
put it on - put on the one about the men in the trees
put it on - put on the one about love me forever
put it on - put on the one about a telephone call
put it on - put on the one about the ocean and time
put it on - put on the one about us

the definite article

an indefinite death 

is all we can imagine

a good death 

is all we can wish for 

the death we get

is the definite article

last scene

[[ Roughly based on a local girl who disappeared forever walking home alone from a night out. There is security video of her walking down the seaside promenade in the very early light just before she vanished. ]]

last seen walking 

home from Friday

home from anger

phone running down

barefoot sidewalk

swinging her shoes

within the sound of 

waves coming down

coming home late like that

barefoot and wobbling

you will be the talk of the town

almost morning 

bathing in strange light

almost daylight

bathing in almost day

what is the color 

of this time? 

this blue hour? 

this golden hour?

stepping through the singing of first birds

stepping through echoes on empty streets

stepping through air, through morning dew, 

wet street lamps, 

wet windows, 

wet shining cars,

stepping through air, through morning dew, 

like nothing could ever

the place where a ball would be

[[ Is it a song about baseball? A song for two voices. ]]

as much as the next man  (I like America)

but don't expect me (to sing that song)

as much as the next man  (I like America)

but it is only (a baseball game)

but it is only (a baseball game)

people in bleachers (variant A and variant B)

people in bleachers (throwing out the first fuck)

he can throw a ball (the ball is not the ball)

he can see a ball (there is no physical ball)

he can hit a ball (the ball is not the ball)

he can catch a ball (there is no physical ball)

he can judge a ball (the ball is not the ball)

he can wear (a uniform uniform)

he can wear  (a hat and a glove)

he can wear  (a cup and a helmet)

he can wear  (a mask and pads)

he can wear (spikesssss)

he can swing (whoosh - stand and wait)

he can swing (and hold...)

he can swing (crack - run out)

he can swing (thump - run in)

he can swing (hey, batter, batter)

there is no physical ball (till it bathes in the Jersey mud)

the ball is not the ball (till it's wet from the sweat of his brow)

there is no physical ball (till the ball meets the bat)

there is the ideal ball (till the ball takes the air)

then there is air (by Jesus), then there is air

there is the air between (the ball and the bat)

there is the air between (the ball and the grass)

there is the air between (the ball and the glove)

there is the air between (each man alive)

there is the ball (between the sun and the man)

he can wear a grin (a wide commercial smile)

he can wear a mustache (he could hang a cap upon)

he can wear a beard (a person could get lost in)

he can wear nothing (but the face his mother gave him)

he can conspire (old men will share)

he can signal (will share a secret)

he can steal (but not until)

he can run (he can run)

he can be (far from home)

he can be (coming home)

he can be (sliiiiding. sliiiiiding)

he can be (safe. safe. safe.)

he can be back and (back and forth) forth

he (back and forth) can be back and forth

he can be back (back and forth) and forth

he can be (back and forth) back and forth

he can (out!)

there is no clock (the end will come for all of us when it will come)

there is no horizon (there is only the wall)

there is the wall (and there is over the wall)

no one goes home (until it's done)

the ball is not the ball (the ball is not the ball)

there is no physical ball (the ball is not the ball)

there is the ideal ball (the ball is not the ball)

there is the ideal mud (the ball is not the ball)

there is the air between (each man alive)

he throws it this way (it flies and it falls)

he throws it this way (it rises on the air)

he throws it this way (it curls to the left)

he throws it this way (it curls to the right)

he throws it this way (it's there before it's there)

as much as the next man  (I like America)

but don't expect me (to sing that song)

as much as the next man  (I like America)

but it is only (a baseball game)

but it is only (a baseball game)

hurricane states

I thought I'd look you up
it's been a hundred years, girl
see how life's treating you
you were so beautiful

I thought I'd look you up
but names just tumble from you
names and men and mobile homes
you go through southern states

I find you when I find you
in crime reports and
been-there mug shots
but how else can a girl
get her face in the news?

one story has you
walking home at 4am
screaming at dark houses
fighting strangers two at a time
they said you sank your teeth into them

one story has you
in your trailer 2am
telling your fiancee
walk away or I'll cut your throat
they said you did it, then swallowed pills

I thought I'd look you up
it's been a hundred years, girl
see how life's treating you
you were so beautiful

I thought I'd look you up
it's been a hundred years, girl
nothing left but concrete where
a trailer used to be