Farewell To All That (7)

FAREWELL TO ALL THAT (7)

'So . . . Uncork the bottles and cut the cigars.'

'Have you said your goodbyes? (How I do love tatas)'

'What?' I replied.

The Priestess cleared her throat of phlegm, and said:

'Have you said au revoir, ciao, bis bald, see you soon? (It ain't - after all - like you're off to the moon.) Did they give you a party? Present you a gift?'

'Are you mad? They're just pleased that I'm off; that they're rid. . . Not a peep from the gods: not a thanks, no adieu. . .'

'Well, the gods have their own rules. You shouldn't feel sore.'

'Oh, sod off,' I said.

Mapping The Territory (8)

MAPPING THE TERRITORY (8)

'Don't look sore, my dear, there is nothing to fear.'

It appeared Mother Courage was back; sucking hard on a tube from her sack.

'Really, nothing's the matter. . . '

(As I coveted her catheter; a rather nice blue plastic Camelbak bladder.)

'You see,' she piped up:

'The sun has gone down and the moon has come up. The evening star's moved into place. Orion's upstanding, the Great Bear's reclining; such a comfort to stare into space.

'So what if one planet's out of place?'

I said:

'You're deluded,' then concluded (in a bid to be clear) 'you cannot ignore facts just to assuage your fears. You cannot turn your cheek to ensure a good view. Bad luck will endure, never mind what you do.'

Mapping The Territory (7)

MAPPING THE TERRITORY (7)

The sky turned red, and the moon came up. (The Priestess imbibed a preprandial sup.)

'My child, do you see (I'm convinced it's not me) that one sun's gone but one still remains? You know, I've been wracking my brains. What on earth could it mean? (You accept what we've seen?)

I was tired of her endless refrain.

So, I said:

'Well, it's clear to me, I'm surprised you can't see that the end of the world is now nigh. Take stock of your life; say goodbye.'

The Priestess looked up, then drank deep from her cup; she'd procured a good whisky, I saw.

'Are you kidding, my child? You will drive me quite wild if you say that the world is no more.'

I was shocked, and tried to look sore.

Semiotics Of Photography: Z

Z is for Zero

(Or, Where On Earth Do The Dead Go When They Die?)

Semiotics Of Photography: M

M is for Moon

Since the beginnings of photography photographers have photographed the moon; photographed at night and by moonlight.

Man on the moon.
Dark side of the moon.
Moonstruck

Blue moon.
(Athens, Georgia, 2002)