_______________________________________________________________________________ \\ / / =====> VacHaus provisionals <===== / / a TNtD (Try Not to Die) drop \\ A Poetry tDrop by Wetdryvac _______________________________________________________________________________ Breath Rife the interrogation is a simple thing, pain at a remove, annoyance, disassembly, reset somewhere, the migraine is looking for the precise order of operations necessary to reawaken Kelpie at the local frog pond, and the collapsing ecosystem has reduced threshold necessary for such tasks fewer frogs, and the cats that hunt the banks slide their faces aside like curtains to check the water, to listen for huffing the bubbles, the come-what-will of methane and sediment in which sequence must frogs die, then, and when their skins slide, in which order are the patterns laid must each utterance and symbol be placed so will any position do and the fallows swell aside, thin face and raked tides rising 24 hands of must and damp leather draped loose over bone it's the star in its eye that pauses the question, the faintest blue and, "Ah, it's you, we're here again." you'd expect questions to be torture - it's the communally accepted decision that one is asked, and hurt, and replaced when done - and in the dream there's the dream of dream, the recycle of testing for tolerance leaning against that old leather frame, teeth like hands in the shoulder, and, "Have we begun?" later, it's dragging the pond, a submerged but comfortable ride, filtering for where the bodies reside, one each for memory: Tasmanian tiger, the giant fossa, and the whisper of Stellar's sea cows still sweet and quiet in the kelp, feeding urchins likewise almost silent pain at a remove 24 hands deep, and just a breathless more, little flickers down below, and, "Ah, it's you, we're here again." 24 hands and home. cool hair so slick it's solid. the company to keep. * * * there's a conversation with Dirk Gently's new spawned god, dicky ticker not yet sweeping, one hand to the minute on May 11, 2001 where, with four months left to go, extinction hasn't written this particular pattern yet just whetting the stone, cropping a bit of civil liberty, waiting breathless for Together We Stand hand painted signs and [redacted, big black letters] fries, 24 hands high. [] so thick it's solid. and that conversation goes like this: "Ah, it's you, we're []" * * * background is found noises and the twist of code that makes 'scape of painting, one stroke at a time gone carefully to rhythm and drone, simulations of drowning and sleep deprivation, pins of the urchins slipping in scraping history away with the edge of a nickel, and "Ah, it's you, we're here again." there is no news but reel loose over bone sinking in ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: With thanks to the good folks at Hackers.Town for answering the very n00best of questions, with the following people politely [REDACTED]. May your time go in a manner you consent to. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: IRC [REDACTED] Poetry, Short Form, With Contact https://writing.exchange/@wetdryvac Poetry, Long Form, With Contact https://landofkittens.social/Wetdryvac Web https://www.wetdryvac.net KoFi https://ko-fi.com/wetdryvac Links https://linktr.ee/wetdryvac MATRIX [REDACTED] BBS [REDACTED] Primary mastodon residence, With Contact https://hackers.town/@Wetdryvac All the other coms access points [REDACTED] =============================================================================== :-==+++**********++==-: :=+**+==============+++++++***+=: :=+*+===================++++++++++*++*+=: :+*+=======================*++++++++*++====+*+: .=*+=========================++++++++++*+========+*=. .+*============================+++++++++*++===========*+. +*==============================+++++++++*+==============*+. =*===============================+++++++++*++==============++#= .*+================================+++++++++*+==============++++**. :#==================================++++++++*++=============+++++++#- -#==================================+++++++++*+=============+++++++++#= -#===================================++++++++*+++===========+++++++++++#- .#====================================++++++++**#@===========+++++++++++=#: #====================================++++++++*++#@==========+++++++++++===# ++====================================++++++++*+=%%=========+++++++++++====++ #=====================================+++++++*++=@%========+++++++++++======%. =*====================================++++++++*+==@%=======+++++++++++======+*= #=====================================++*%%%###*++@#======+*+++++++++======++=# %=====================================+++++++*#*#%@%#####*%#++++++++=====+++==# %====================================++++++++++==#@*+++++*##+++++++=====+*+===% %====================================+++++++*+===#@*====++++++++++=====++====*% #====================================++++++*++===%@+====++++++*++=====++===+*+# ++==================================*++++++**====@@+===++++++*++=====++===++++* :#=================================+%*+++++++====@@===++++++*+++====++===++++#: #=================================#%%%%%%%%###*#@@#+++++++*+#%====++===*++++# :#================================++++++++#*+*%@@@###%@%%%%%%%+=+++==+*++++#- ++===============================++++++*++++**#@%=+++#+*++==+=+++==++++++** *+==============================++++++++====+%@%++++#*++====+*===+++++++# #+=============================+++++*+===+==%@%++++#++====++===+++++++# *+===========================++++++++====+=@@#+++*++====++==+*++++++# +*==========================+++++*+=======@@#++*++====++==+++++++*+ -*+========================++++#*+======*@@*+*++====++==+++++++#- +*======================+++++#########%@@#*++===**+==*+++++*+ .+*====================+++++++=====+*%@@#######%*=+*++++**: .+*+=================++++*+======++@@@+====+++=+++++*+. -**===============++++++=====+++@@@====+*==*++**= .=+*+==========++++*+======+++@@@===++==***=. -=+*+======++++++=====+++*@@%==+**++- :-=++***++*+=====+++#%@@%+=-: =============================================================================== �2022 by Wetdryvac / VacHaus provisionals / VacHaus Press / TNtD Please contact Wetdryvac for reprint permission