Backing the horses out of the trailer, Tanya led them around, giving them a chance to stretch their legs and survey their new surroundings while Joel checked in at the office and got directions to their stabling area. The good news was that the stalls they were assigned were still in the state of Oklahoma. But just barely. After stabling the horses and unloading their gear, Tanya and Joel headed to the arena. As they arrived, they realized that they were just in time to watch the evening’s performance. So that night, after a long three days of hauling their two horses across the country, they settled back to get the feel of the arena as they ate hot dogs, drank soft drinks, and watched the cutting and working cow horse classes.When it was all done they realized that they were tired and needed to find their hotel in a hurry. After one last check on their horses, which seemed to have taken to their new surroundings quite nicely, Joel and Tanya drove over to the hotel to claim their room for the next few days. Tanya insisted to Joel that he could have the bedroom, and she would take the couch. Reluctantly, Joel accepted Tanya’s firm offer. After unpacking, they fell asleep to dreams of victory in the show ring.
or not – it all depends on the environment. I suspect that you haven’t thought your way through it – and I’m not trying to be rude, or difficult. Usually, when people come in and ask for something that’s completely outside their understanding, they, probably, aren’t asking for the right thing. I’d like to suggest that I come down and make a presentation to your company, on what I think you’re looking for.” “You think so?” “Yes. You don’t seem sure about why you want it, and you’re not sure about the environment it will be in. I suspect that no matter what I paint you won’t be happy. Painting what is in someone else’s mind is almost impossible. So, would you do me the courtesy of letting me come down and make a presentation, and see if that is what you want?” “Certainly.” A few weeks later, Ken walked into the formidable skyscraper in downtown Toronto and gave the board members his analysis. They wanted a large painting for the foyer. Fine – he could supply that, but it wouldn’t be as large as the Reichmann painting. And, it would be the first of several canvases. A smaller one would hang in the boardroom, and several others would hang throughout the premises. The preliminary sketches and drawings would be framed and hung as well. The paintings would tell a story that would be repeated in a booklet. A six-minute film would also tell the story, and it would play on a large screen television in the reception area. When a client arrived for a meeting, he would sit and watch the movie. “Now, they have something interesting,” Ken said. “This is something they have not anticipated seeing, and they realize that you are a lot more than just what you do. When you meet the client, you tour them around and show them all the works, and then you sit down and get down to business. By now, they realize that you are interesting people. You have things going on other than making money. When your business is concluded you hand the client a copy of the book – signed by me and your CEO – as something to take away and remind them of the meeting.” Ken suggested they take a holiday during the month of August and turn their offices over to him. When they returned the space would be transformed – not just because the paintings would be hung. What good were paintings if the background didn’t complement them? He proposed changing the furniture to set off his work and painting the walls in appropriate colours. Everything had to work – it had to be of a piece. The cost, he said, was irrelevant – the accountants would write the whole thing off. He thanked them, told them he had to return to his painting, and left. During the next few days several of the board members visited his studio. A couple of weeks later they accepted his fee of four hundred eighty thousand dollars.
You Didn’t Know About our religious beliefs, the fool Julian said, “I read, I understood, I disagreed.” As if he, the idiot, had eliminated us with his ‘disagreement.’ But such clever statements don’t carry any weight with us Christians. We at once responded, “You read, but you understood nothing, because if you had, you wouldn’t have disagreed.”
Denial Hesitant moonlight entered to sit on the night table outline of her conflagrated body lain on the deserted bed autumn breeze a shameless raider sneaked through the half open window to observe her two thighs softly rubbing against each other two fingers travelled over her wet mound involuntary conspiring wind and window shutter created the sorrowful creak that brought her to consciousness heart pulse bounced off the gleaming mirror to fall dead onto the carpet crying unfair life even this dreamy pleasure you denied me.
Tyne sat on a chair across from her. Several seconds passed in silence. Tyne did not intend to make it easy for the woman. Finally Ruby said, “I know you’re mad at Bill and me because the kids ran away. I know you didn’t want us to have them in the first place. But we … I did my best for them.” “Did you?” Ruby looked up sharply. The fire that Tyne remembered from their encounter in Emblem Hospital had returned to her eyes. “Yeah, I did, no matter what they … what Rachael says.” Tyne sat forward, her eyes riveted on Ruby’s face. “And was doing your best making Rachael work like a woman in the house? Letting your daughter bully her – even going so far as to mutilate the doll? Telling her that she and Bobby would be sent to an orphanage?” She took a deep breath. “Was that doing your best for her?” Ruby sat straight, ready to defend herself. “I didn’t know a lot of that stuff until later when Lark told me. And anyway, I can’t see it’s any of your business because they’re not your kids. You’re not even related.” “No,” Tyne said quietly, “we’re not. But your sister left them in our care, and I promised to look after them for her. And both Morley and I have grown to love them which is what you don’t appear to do, even though they’re your own flesh and blood.” Ruby’s face turned red and she lowered her head. “I do love them,” she whispered, “an’ I’m sorry about what Lyssa did. I try, but I don’t have any control over her.” Tyne tried to quell the unexpected twinge of compassion. “Okay Ruby. I’m sure it’s difficult at times. But what about Ronald? You don’t deny his dad beat him?” Still looking at the floor, Ruby shook her head from side to side. “No, I don’t deny that. Bill is hard on him, always has been.” “Couldn’t you stop him?” There was a long pause, during which Tyne became aware that someone stood nearby. She looked up to see a middle-aged woman hesitate in the doorway, then move on when Ruby spoke. “I tried to stop him at first, but he’d turn on me. I couldn’t stand up to him; he’s a big man.” Tyne felt revulsion. “Did he hit you?”
I Listen to the Sea I listen to the sea. Orchestra of chords, wind instruments under the guidance of a maestro and further away the echo of percussions on the rocks. Beautiful metaphor. Beautiful? Despicable when instead of the sunless concerts of a classic boredom I mentally move to the ceaseless water sounds of an existent Amorgos. Now how did I imagine a maestro and wind instruments that don’t even let go of a whisper in the wind? I listen to the sea, or rather I try. The sea is so beautiful and true like a lie.
Not Executed Clouds on the mountain. Whose fault is it? He, tired, looks straight ahead, returns, walks, stoops. The stones are on the ground, the birds up in the air. A water pitcher stands at the windowsill. Thorns in the fields. Hands in the pockets. Pretenses, pretenses. The poem delays. Emptiness. Speech is defined by what it has silenced.
Balance He stood under the hundred year old oak proud of its height when He urged us to become alike and truly we felt we had grown higher as though in a secret conspiracy among all alive entities who spot their reflective light in darkness so we turned toward the sky with the hope of reaching it and we extended our limbs toward the depths of earth into which we stretched roots and knowledge that suckled onto the earthly breast surely we agreed to uphold this inescapable duality while He smiled satisfied that we had found the path upon which we were meant to reach our equilibrium.
“But he claims you assured him the hole is good. The market is telling him something else.” “It is a good hole, Eteo. Why do you doubt it?” Eteo had to pause for a moment to find smoother words than the first ones that came to mind. “Look, Richard. If they really had a good hole, they wouldn’t make a cash call now. They would release the news that their hole was good. Simple as that. Asking for more money so fast, I have to tell you, Richard, it’s not a good sign. I don’t like it, and neither does Bernard.” “Don’t be so pessimistic, Eteo. We have a good hole, you’ll see.” “I hope so Richard, I hope so. But looking at the market, if it thought the hole was good, there would have been lots of buying orders from the drillers themselves, you know that. We would have seen them by now. I’m afraid your guy has got nothing and just wants to milk the partners for as long as he can.” Eteo paused and took a deep breath. Richard was silent too. Finally, all he could say was, “It will be a good hole, you’ll see.” “You know,” Eteo warned, “Bernard could be a bad partner if he found out that anything was kept from him.” “Why? What did he say to you?” Richard asked, sounding alarmed now. “I’m just advising, Richard, that Bernard could be a very negative factor in the market if he felt cheated. He could try to undermine you just for the principle of it. I know him.” “Come on, Eteo. There aren’t any principles in this market, and you know it. If my market picks up, he’ll make money on it too. Why would he undermine me.” “Then the question arises, how will you move your market with a bad drill hole?” “Don’t say that, Eteo. I have a good drill hole. You’ll see when the news is out.” “I hope so for your sake, Richard” “Are you trying to warn me about something more specific, Eteo? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
LAZINESS I do not care to work today for laziness has defeated me again and I sit upon my mattress and feel my body’s heaviness as if the whole wide earth cannot contain me nor ever can the sky. I perceive the good as evil and glance down once and then towards the sky. Despite this stupid world I live in, I wish I could just once live fully and never die.
Manolis Aligizakis 