911 Shapes Of Things
I stepped outside to feel the air, I had been inside too long. There were shadows on the ground this night that were not usually there. So I looked up to find their source. There it is was again, that shape in the sky that only shows its real light in the dark. So I went inside and got my machine and returned to outside. I stared at that source through my machine. I stood on the curb across the street and stared at that shape through it, again, like I have done, before. Then I heard it. “Get off my property or I’ll call the police.” I looked down at my feet, I was the curb, the public curb. I looked towards the source of this noise. There stood a half naked mad woman. I looked back up at that shape through my machine. Then I heard it again, “Get off my property or I’ll call the police!” she screamed, walking closer. I could see through her top, I could see the shapes of her, too. I did not want to nor do I understand why she wanted to show me.
I just stood there, I was not on her property nor had I broken any law. The half naked mad woman got closer and screamed the same thing, louder. So I turned towards the half naked mad showing me things I was not looking to see woman and said, “I am not on your property. I have not broken a law. My name is Jonathan Saunders (my whole real name) and I live across the street. (I said my real address). If you want to call the police, their number is 911. (The real number for the police). This conversation is over.” I went back to looking through my machine and recording the shape source in the sky. The half naked mad woman kept getting closer and screaming louder. I think maybe she thought the louder she screamed or closer she got or the easier she made it to see her nakedness, the more she thought she was correct, yet no matter how loud she screamed it didn’t mean I broke a law. Half naked mad screaming woman got closer and threatened louder. I started laughing and reached for my phone, it was time to call the police on her. I stopped laughing when I realized my phone was on my desk, inside.
I heard a man’s voice now. So I looked past half naked screaming mad woman and there on the porch was a half naked screaming at her man. I don’t know why he wanted me to see him almost naked either. “Leave him alone, just call the police.” Half naked screaming mad woman ignored screaming at her half naked man and kept screaming at me. I started laughing again. “Woman, you better listen to me!” said half naked screaming man, “If you ain’t going to listen to me woman, [unintelligible threat], I’ll call the police.” Half naked screaming at her man never addressed me directly, I don’t know why. I looked back at the shape source in that sky through my machine. Half naked screaming mad woman was still screaming at me as I stood in the middle of the street now, having stepped away from her as she continued her threats and ever stepping closer. I was not going to let her and her half naked madness hurt me.
Half naked screaming mad woman was still screaming at me and half naked screaming at her man was still screaming at her. I turned towards half naked screaming mad woman, now standing too close to me and said once again, “This conversation is over.” This time, I said it louder. It seemed loud must have been her language because she stopped screaming for a moment and looked at me, it must have finally sank in. Half naked screaming mad woman now quietly said, “Jonathan, how is your grandmother?”
– – –
The next day inside where I stay, I knocked over a box and things spilled out. I picked up one of these things and held it up to circular fake light source above me for my machine to record. This thing looked just like what I had made a few hours ago only this thing I made a night not last night, but a night 22 years ago, 22 years ago + only a few days. That night 22 years ago had been the same. I saw the day circle light source vanish through trees in one direction and the other direction, I saw the night circle light source rise through trees, too. The air outside had been warm that day also and that night 22 years ago, also staring at that shape in the sky that only shows its real light in the dark, staring at it through my machine, the air had turned just as cool as last night. I can still feel that same breeze, blowing.
I cannot escape myself, even when I want to, this is The Shape Of Things.
In 22 years from today, I hope I am no longer a sucker, for shapes.