The Cosmic Call

 

(An Unpublished Work)

 

The play, itself, closed even before it opened. The problem was that no actor could be found to handle the assignment.  Though billed as a one-act play; it actually consisted of, in fact, a single word.

The script read:

ENTER

The Player. Cosmic Call.*

EXEUNT

Though scores auditioned for the part no one could be found who could get it just right.

 

* The ‘Call’ should encompass that sound that the primeval superatom yawned at the instant the universe began to expand; God is but a whispered ululation of’it; it is the birth pangs of every mother and every birth; the sound of death; hope; striving; failure; the noise of love; the sound of a Black hole sucking in a new born star; a dandelion crying;  **; a cat purring; shadows singing; stars imploding; rocks breathing; the blind seeing their first sight & the deaf hearing their first sounds; the sound of thinking; smoke striving; rainbows singing; computers whirring, and the like.

**Editor:  word is missing from original manuscript

The War of the Butterflies

 

An Excerpt from Worlds to Shatter, Shattered Worlds

 

(Some place.  Same mind.  Another time.)

 

The One

I had a dream.

The Other

Not another dream.

The One

I’m afraid so.

The Other

Then out with it, if you must.

The One

In my dream I dreamt I was dreaming a dream.  In this dream (the dream in which I was dreaming that I was dreaming, that is) I was entrapped in a city ….

The Other

The Citadel?

The One

A city, a nameless city, a city itself besieged by dreams.  The city stood where the sun meets the sends.  (He gestures in a yonder fashion.)  Fearing that an outbreak of peace was about to engulf the planet,  these Evil-mongers disguised  in  every variety and  form of ugliness.  When the meeting was about to convene a thousand Black Butterflies flew into the chambers in the usual warning that an attack had been launched  by the bitterest enemies of the Evil-mongers — the Dreamers.

The Other

Of course, the Dreamers.  It is only fitting.

The One

Attacking in the classical and time-honoured manner, the Dreamers encircled the enemy city and dreamt their dreams.

The Other

I now see where this is heading.

The One

The first attack was bitterly repulsed as the Evil-mongers thought their ugliest thoughts, and so was the second.  Many a beautiful dream was to die that day, so  fierce was the struggle.

A stalemate ensued with neither side gaining the upper hand until a child was found who had already forgotten more than most had learned in a lifetime.  He unleashed a mighty mirage that tipped the scales in the dreamers’ favour.

And so were the Evil-mongers forced to flee in rout.  At this point I awoke.  What do you make of it?

The Other

Hyperinaccessible, weakly compacted, ineffable ….

The One

Meaning?

The Other

Nothing, of course.

The One

I see.

The Other

No, you don’t.

The One

Some see more with their eyes closed than others see with their eyes open.

(Unseen by the One and the Other, DHGHOMYO has approached them from stage right.  The Other pays his little heed; the One is startled in a start of recognition.)

DHGHOMYO

Gentlemen.  (To the One.)  Why do you stare?

The One

My dream!

DHGHOMYO

So you are the one!

The One

The one?

DHGHOMYO

The one who has stolen my dream.

The Other

Your dream?

DHGHOMYO

The War of the Butterfly.  I should introduce myself.  I am called DHGHOMYO, a dreamer by trade.

The Thousand Infinities

 

An Excerpt from Worlds to Shatter, Shattered Worlds

 

The One

(Slowly.  In deep reflection.  Attempting to decipher, decode, or simply recollect the dream.)

Last night I had a dream.  In the dream I had wandered into a citadel.  It was not quite a city of the dead but neither was it a city of the living.  The inhabitants could, perhaps, best be described as unborn tomorrow and dead yesterday.

 

The Other

I see.

The One

 

The   walls of the citadel were plastered with the Unspeakings of the Unperson.  What these concerned, I do not recall, however, I distinctly remember the words, WE US THEY THEM,” though I cannot be sure as to their meaning.

The Other

Do proceed.

The One

I believe they were taken from what could best be described as either a catechism or sacred text known as the COSMOLOGIA.  The focal point of the Citadel, apparently the purpose of the Citadel’s existence was something called the Thousand Infinities, though no one seemed to know what these were or where they could be found.  I thought this to be curious in the extreme.

 

The Other

Indeed.

The One

Everywhere, at all times, were crowds of people chanting.  Chanting incantations.  Chanting indecipherable gibberish.  I could make out, however, that the imagination was considered to be a loathsome disease.  I wandered about stealthily until I  found  myself  descending  a stairway leading into a dank, dark, musty cellar.  In the cellar was a small wooden box.  I was drawn to it out of curiosity.  I lifted the lid and what do you suppose I had inadvertently stumbled upon?

 

The Other

The Thousand Infinities.

 

The One

The Thousand Infinities?  This was not to be.  There were no Thousand Infinities.  Neither a Hundred, nor Ten, nor a Single Infinity, for that matter.  I found myself running from the cellar screaming.  What I was screaming I cannot exactly recall, but I have strong suspicions it concerned We and Us and They and Them.

(Pausing.  He is out of breath.  He is spent.)

What do you suppose it all means?

 

The Other

(Displaying deep disappointment.)

I was hoping you’d tell me.

 

The One

(Shrugging, as if resigned.)

I have no idea.

The Other

Then I’d say it means nothing.

 

The One

Nothing?

 

The Other

Nada.  Naught.  Null.  Nothing.  No thing.

The Tales

 

An Excerpt from Children of the Mind

 

What The Chronicles did not relate were ‘The Tales’.

‘The Tales’ passed down from generation to generation.  The tales concerning thought-catchers and dreamlatchers and the days of uncertainty and fear:  the last days of the past and the first of the future. The establishment of an elaborate all-pervasive apparatus of terror.  The rise of Mildtryth, a simple, some say, fated man. The children taking to the streets shouting, “We Want Dreams” and “Give Us Back Our Minds”.

So state ‘The Tales’.

 

Worlds to Shatter, Shattered Worlds

 

A Selection from Episode Seven

The One          In my dream I dreamt I was dreaming a dream.  In this dream (the dream in which I was dreaming that I was dreaming, that is) I was entrapped in a city …

The Other        The Citadel?

The One          A city, a nameless city, a city itself besieged by dreams.  (The city stood where the sun meets the sends.)  (He gestures in a yonder fashion.)  Fearing that an outbreak of peace was  about  to engulf the planet, these Evil-mongers disguised in every variety and form of ugliness.  When the meeting was about to convene a thousand Black Butterflies flew into the chambers in the usual warning that an attack had been launched by the bitterest enemies of the Evil-mongers — the Dreamers.

The Other        Of course; the Dreamers.  It is only fitting.

The One          Attacking in the classical and time-honoured manner, the Dreamers encircled the enemy city and dreamt  their dreams.

The Other        I now see where this is heading.

The One          The first attack was bitterly repulsed as the Evil-mongers thought their ugliest thoughts, and so was the second.  Many a beautiful dream was to die that day so fierce was the struggle.  A stalemate ensued with neither side gaining the upper hand until a child was found who had already forgotten more than most had learned in a lifetime.  He unleashed a mighty mirage that tipped the scales in the dreamers’ favour. And so were the Evil-mongers forced to  flee in rout.  At this point I awoke.  What  do you make of it?

The Other        Hyper … ineffable ….

The One          Meaning?

The Other        Nothing, of course.

The One          I see.

The Other        No, you don’t.

The One          Some see more with their eyes closed than others see with their eyes open.  (Unseen  by the One and the Other, DHGHOMYO has approached them from stage right.  The Other pays his little heed; the One is startled in a start of recognition.)

DHGHOMYO   Gentlemen.  (To the One.)  Why do you stare?

The  One         My dream!

DHGHOMYO  So you are the one!

The One          The one?

DHGHOMYO   The one who has stolen my dream.

The Other        Your dream?

DHGHOMYO   The War of the Butterfly.  I should introduce myself.  I am called DHGHOMYO, a dreamer by trade.

Worlds to Shatter, Shattered Worlds

Worlds to Shatter, Shattered Worlds

A Selection from Episode Seven

The One          In my dream I dreamt I was dreaming a dream.  In this dream (the dream in which I was dreaming that I was dreaming, that is) I was entrapped in a city …

The Other        The Citadel?

The One          A city, a nameless city, a city itself besieged by dreams.  (The city stood where the sun meets the sends.)  (He gestures in a yonder fashion.)  Fearing            that an outbreak of peace was  about  to engulf the    planet, these Evil-mongers disguised in every variety and form of ugliness.  When the meeting was about to convene a thousand Black Butterflies flew into the chambers in the usual warning that an attack had been launched by the bitterest enemies of the Evil-mongers — the Dreamers.

The Other        Of course; the Dreamers.  It is only fitting.

The One          Attacking in the classical and time-honoured manner, the Dreamers encircled the enemy city and dreamt  their dreams.

The Other        I now see where this is heading.

The One          The first attack was bitterly repulsed as the Evil-mongers thought their ugliest thoughts, and so was the second.  Many a beautiful dream was to die that day so fierce was the struggle.  A stalemate ensued with neither side gaining the upper hand until a child was found who had already forgotten more than most had learned in a lifetime.  He unleashed a mighty mirage that tipped the scales in the dreamers’ favour. And so were the Evil-mongers forced to  flee in rout.  At this point I awoke.  What  do you make of it?

The Other        Hyper … ineffable ….

The One          Meaning?

The Other        Nothing, of course.

The One          I see.

The Other        No, you don’t.

The One          Some see more with their eyes closed than others see with their eyes open.  (Unseen  by the One and the Other, DHGHOMYO has approached them from stage right.  The Other pays his little heed; the One is startled in a start of recognition.)

DHGHOMYO   Gentlemen.  (To the One.)  Why do you stare?

The  One         My dream!

DHGHOMYO  So you are the one!

The One          The one?

DHGHOMYO   The one who has stolen my dream.

The Other        Your dream?

DHGHOMYO   The War of the Butterfly.  I should introduce myself.  I am called DHGHOMYO, a dreamer by trade.

Worlds to Shatter, Shattered Worlds

 

 

A Selection from Episode Two

 

Child                A finite idea, an infinite will,

This is what you’ll find when time stands still.

A limited memory, a limitless mind:

The Singularity at the End of Time.

(She repeats this rhyme a second time.  Her voice fades as The Other begins to speak.)

A finite idea, an infinite will,

This is what you’ll find when time stands still.

A limited memory, a limitless  mind:

The Singularity at the End of Time.

 

The Other        Here, even the children speak with twisted tongues.

(The Child, seemingly unaware of The One and The Other, skips about repeating her refrain though we no longer hear it.)

The One          That  child’s  tongue  is no more convoluted than the lobes in your head.

The Other        Tongues have been extirpated for less.

The One          Extirpated?

The Other        The unwilling and forcible removal of that  muscular organ utilized in mastication, the sense of taste, and speech; the forcible removal thereof.

The One          Do you suppose she is aware of what her rhyme entails?

The Other        We need only ask. (Motioning to the child.)  Child.  (He beckons to her.)  That rhyme of yours.  What is its meaning?

The Child        That  being whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere, the Unmoved Mover, the Knower Who Knows All Things, the Prime Mover, the perpetrator of that series of causes and effects that ultimately leads to this conversation can best be conceived as pure act.  This is to say, God has no unactualized potential.

The One          No unactualized potential?

The Child        (Ignoring the query.)  That limited sense of continued existence that we refer to as time is really nothing more than the actualization of potential and, in this sense, God does not foresee the future as we know it but, rather, encompasses the future as it unfolds (or comes to pass).

The Other        Or comes to past.

The Child        (Again ignoring the interruption.)  Time  as a measurement of change, therefore does not apply to God.  Hence the children’s’ rhyme to which you previously  referred.  (So saying  she exits, still skipping, stage left.)

The One          Extirpation is beginning to seem a socially acceptable          alternative.

The Other        Rather.

(Freeze.  Scene fades.)

Debate Over the Existence of the Mind

 

 

The Setting:    The following takes place in the Land of the Dwarf on a site where a city was put to the torch, the fields sown with salt, the citizens sold as slaves and the land cursed.

The Time:        The Age of the Five Kingdoms.

The Players:   Quaestor  & Praetor.

Quaestor:        What is real?

Praetor:            That which is self-sustaining.

Quaestor:        What is true?

Praetor:            That which is indestructible and eternal.

Quaestor:        What is freedom?

Praetor:            Having one’s actions determine one’s fate.

Quaestor:        What is fate?

Praetor:            A scene etched in lightning.

Quaestor:        What are laws?

Praetor:            Those things written in blood.

Quaestor:        What is history?

Praetor:            Things best forgotten.

Quaestor:        What is memory?

Praetor:            The cobwebs of time.

 

(Scene Fades Away)

1.16 (29:5) #516

Conversation With the WordMan

An Interview With the Inventor of Words

 

PJJP:           It’s my understanding that you are the one who invented language.

WordMan:  Words.

PJJP:           There is a difference?

WordMan:   Yes.

PJJP:           A matter of degree, perhaps?

WordMan:  Precisely.

PJJP:           Tell us about the invention of words … the process involved.

WordMan:  It is a technique both intricate and arcane. A lost art.

PJJP:           But new words come into existence every day.

WordMan:  … merely variations upon my basic themes.

PJJP:           So then you claim to have created the bases upon which all later constructions have been executed.

WordMan:   In all modesty.

PJJP:           In all languages?

WordMan:  Only what is now known as Proto-Indo-European.

PJJP:           Can you give us an example?

WordMan:  Take, if you will, the word pate(r): a pair of syllables, three consonants and two vowels. (My grandfather invented the distinction between the two but it was my own father who first understood their true significance.)

PJJP:           I see.

WordMan:  The word is a splendid example of intuitive foresight. When setting it down, I immediately realized that inherent within itself was not one but many words. Subsequent developments have borne out my initial assumptions.

PJJP:           How So?

WordMan:  Pate(r) has served as the prototype for the Sanskrit pitar, the Persian pitar, the Saxon fadar, the Greek pater, the Latin pater, the English father, and so on.

PJJP:           I see. Can you give us another example?

WordMan:  This one is similar yet different; it involves names.

PJJP:           Names?

WordMan:  Yes, certain of these I’ve chosen only because of the phonetic effect they create when link together.

PJJP:           A case in point?

WordMan:  Mathew, Mark, Luke and John.

PJJP:           Oh, come now.

WordMan:  Clytemnestra and Agamemnon … Tristram and Isolde … Cyril and Methodius.

PJJP:           You are testing me.

WordMan:   Not at all.

PJJP:           You knew that these linkages would one day occur.

WordMan:  Only that certain potentials existed. There are many more that have not surfaced as yet, perhaps they never will.

PJJP:            What is your proudest achievement?

WordMan:  The one word that carries all the following meanings:

• the whistling of an arrow
• the sound of a shepherd’s pipe
• the splashing of water
• the hissing of a serpent
• the scuffling of feet

PJJP:           And what might this word be?

WordMan:  I don’t recall offhand. It’s Classical Greek I can tell you that much.

PJJP:           You don’t remember?

WordMan:  I am old man; at times, my memory seems made of wax. Now there’s an interesting word, wax. Ultimately, it is connected to the Latin vellum, veil.

PJJP:           Go on.

WordMan:  It’s a long, complicated and boring tale.

PJJP:           Are you ever surprised at the permutations that ensue?

WordMan:  Certainly. I was delighted when my original word for a physical contest, agonia, was ultimately transformed into the mental component of the struggle, agony. I’ve never quite reconciled in my mind how thinking, thumb, thing, thousand and thingamabob all sprang from my original conception.

PJJP:           … sounds quite perplexing.

WordMan:  We are barely touching the surface here.

PJJP:           We’ll have to continue this at a later time.

WordMan:  Remind me to tell you how a limited stretch of continued existence came to be called as such (time). It’s an incredible tale.

PJJP:             I’m sure it is.