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Archive for January, 2010

The man, the cats and the books

published on: 30.01.2010 in: All entries

I visit a home. A man aged approximately 65 opens the door. His face is flustered, red. His hair is thinning. He wears glasses, a blazer and casual slacks. He has taken care of himself. At least of his appearance. As I step into his house, the smell of cat-urine overwhelms me. I breathe through […]

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Try not to cry

published on: 23.01.2010 in: All entries

A woman asks me for help. She has nothing, I have everything. Therefore I say ‘yes’ to whatever she asks. I once told her, “please Laeticia, I’m listening and we can talk about this. So please stop whimpering. You know what? Try to see it like a business deal, okay?”“Okay.” She tries. Sometimes her voice […]

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Reverse

published on: 21.01.2010 in: All entries

“I cant give you what you’re looking for,” he says. She asks, “what do you think I’m looking for?”He says, “Africa.” She smiles, “you are so wrong.”They sit facing each other, their legs straddled. There are times when she shakes him to the core. His confusion speaks to her through his eyes while the words […]

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News today

published on: 19.01.2010 in: All entries

The news, my friend, is no longer to be watched nor read. Breathe it in, then exhale it along with the question what time to set the alarm for tomorrow. It no longer speaks. Not even in irony as it complains of corruption and blames man for its own disasters. In frustration as the children […]

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Perhaps we had

published on: 14.01.2010 in: All entries

I recognized her, but she was out of context. She was sitting on a couch, her knees wide, a majestic belly holding her second child between them. Her two-year-old bashed a drum. “Aren’t you gorgeous,” she said to my three-year-old. She briefly glanced at me at which point I knew who she was.“Anne?” I asked.The […]

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The non-exclusivity of loss

published on: 11.01.2010 in: All entries

“He was going to come to my 18th birthday as a surprise,” said the platinum blonde girl. Her eyes were fixed on my face. Tears welled up into them, dropped from her lashes, one by one. She did not once blink. “Everytime he visited Holland, we would do something fun. He’d worry about my boyfriends. […]

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January

published on: 07.01.2010 in: All entries

Snow. It’s dusting outside, is what a little girl says. She is six years old. She has never seen snow. Her mother laughs, tells her to come outside quick. The dustflakes melt on her flushed and confused face. Mother opens her arms and twirls. Little girl opens her mouth and tastes. They aren’t wearing jackets. […]

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A note to my island

published on: 05.01.2010 in: All entries

You tease me. You turn your winds and they now carry with them an army of wasps; soldiers of sand flies that feed on the dampness of my eyes. Your sea is bloated and frustrated. Its currents sway from left to right, causing turmoil in the sand that lies beneath which rises, colours its blue […]

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Life-defining story

published on: 03.01.2010 in: All entries

We all have a life-defining story to tell. It’s that one story we tell people we meet, and often other people are telling each other about us. Someone will have been fired at age 59. Then what? Or has contracted an exotic neurological disease of some sort. Had parents who were missionaries. Or if you’re lucky, […]

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