THE HANDSTAND

OCTOBER 2002

  The mother told this Johnny, see-er of globs of substance on top of eggs thinking the moving

film were streams of snot oozing from noses on cold Burywater winter days, she had dreamt of

babies that very early morning and as everyone knew  - she emphasized the point by pressing

down on each word with a finger - that since ancient times everyone knew those kinds of

dreams foretold hard hard times like dying of hunger Great Depressions and wars that killed to

death innocence; fueled by those who truly believed that the wealth accruing from the latter

brought them great wealth and a self-worth that had been missing from them and for a few

well spent dollars in the purchasing of medals given to young soldiers who had died could and

would wipe away all the tears from those left behind to mourn moments that would never

become alive again.  And she meant real innocence - not like a whoring country saying they

once again lost their innocence with legs spread wide open to conquer the world.

    The eight year old pushed away the eggs and then began to

peer into the oldfashion kind of oatmeal with little specks of

black angry eyes looking back up at him and he thought

again: if dreaming of babies was an ancient nightmare - did

that not make all babies - including those of the wealthy - become potential

fullers of empty stomachs? 

His words came out so: "Drumming lil bobbies intooo embtybullies!"

    "That's not true!  I did want you to become and it made no difference that another mouth to

feed during the days of little food made no difference to me and I also wanted your older

brother Tom to be born though God put a bad sign on him when he was six months old giving

him polio and God also took our Nina when she was four years old fourteen years before you

were born of the poor peoples' disease called diphtheria," she said.

     He pushed the bowl away while saying: "Alob.  Lurching atch me!"

    "Eat!  There are babies starving in this mean hateful world that all the Gods put together

could not make whole and people pray to their different Gods to have what you have!  Did you

see that image of that so-called mother beating that four year old girl?  Well that's the picture

the rest of the world has of us, what's so great about a Great Britain and those who claim

they were God's chosen people?  Well that's not my God!  It must have been the one that always

needed prove he was loved!"

     He looked again at the specks that now reminded him of sad baby eyes and asked:

"Wwwwwhhhhhhyyyyyy much they beeeeee?"

  "Because there are crosses like shadows on the souls of haters who are afraid of dying and

living!" she said wishing it were a better world for him and all the others who were for all the

arrogant blood-drinking leaders just nasty looking film on eggs.

     "Maaaaaammmmmaaaaa!" he said.   

..Jerry Vilhotti©24th September 2002 All Rights Reserved vilhotti@peoplepc.com
..illustration, sculptures:Paul Delaney ©2002 All Rights Reserved