Friday, September 25, 2009

RICHIE - CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (Twitter Novel / Keitai Shousetsu)



next day i get back to the
dorm after school and i walk
by richies room and hes
standing by the side of his
bed

and hes looking at the wall

and i dont say anything but
just walk closer to the door
and all the pictures

of salinas on 12/01 have been

ripped down the wall is
empty except for little pieces
of tape and tack holes

and little fragments of paper

still fluttering here and there
and richie reaches out to
touch one with his finger

then sadly just lets his arm

drop to his side and continues
to stare at the now empty
wall and i

want to go in and say

something or do something
but i have no idea what and
the ripped pictures arent even
there

crumpled on the floor or in

the garbage can theyre just
gone basically and im angry
and confused but mostly

im just sad cuz ive never seen

richie like this its strange he
just looks defeated and
weirdly old like not 16 but

like a grown man and not in a

good way like idk middle-
aged and sad like my dad or
something and i just

keep standing there looking

at him and i want to leave
before he turns and sees me
but its like i cant

i just keep watching him idk

why its like i have nothing to
gain but i just keep watching
him anyway

and then i hear this like

happy shout come from the
common room and i look
over and justin comes out
smiling

he sweeps the hair out of his

eyes and sees me -hey
somebody put the g5 back-
he waits for a reaction

but i dont really know what
to say so he goes -so thats
cool- and then he walks up
to richies door

moves in next to me in the
doorway and goes -hey
richie cuddys office called
the dorm he wants to see
you- then turns

back to me -were playing
gridiron extreme- then
smiles again and goes right
back into the common room
i turn back to richie

in time to see his chin drop to
his chest he doesnt say
anything doesnt move again

and suddenly i dont want to
stay any longer so i just turn
around and leave




Friday, September 18, 2009

RICHIE - CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (Twitter Novel / Keitai Shousetsu)



so a couple of days later the
g5 goes missing from the
common room which is weird
cuz it wasnt the memory card

or one of the games but the

entire system which doesnt
make any sense cuz first off
how could someone hide it
and secondly

no one could use it in their

room or something without
everyone knowing but either
way its gone and after school
cuddy and nulles

and a few of the physical

plant workers come to the
dorm and start doing room
searches looking for it and
none of the guys object at all

including me and they go

through almost like
apologetically and when they
actually find something like
porn

or weed or a bottle of vodka

cuddy just goes like –watley
take care of this- or
–malachowski i dont want to

see this again-

and they just move on not

even taking the stuff they
found which is kinda crazy to
me but the physical plant
guys are

totally stone faced they just

seem to be there to like
lift mattresses and stuff and it

feels super weird when they
go through my room

but they dont find anything

and cuddys just like all
sheepish –sorry- and im like
–its cool- and nulles just
stands there with his

red glasses and tight little

mouth all creepy and shit and
they just move on to the next
one and all of us just kind of
follow

from room to room and

watch all clustered around the
doorways as they do exactly
the same thing to everybody
and find no g5 of course

but then they get to richies

room and it gets like tenser
cuz i think a lot of the guys
here think richie did it even
though

i know thats absolutely

ridiculous but when were all
standing at his door frejean
goes to tyshawn –he
definitely did it

-he hates video games- and i

go –why the fuck would he
steal the g5 if he hates it so
much- and frejean looks over
his shoulder at me

like im retarded -so none of

us can play it dumbass- then
he looks at tyshawn shakes
his head and looks back into
the room

where cuddy and nulles and
the physical plant guys are
standing in front of richies
bed taking up almost all of
the available space

and richies sitting on the bed
with his arms folded and
cuddy smiles at him -richie
you know what were doing
here may i take a look

-through yr room for the
missing g5- richie smiles
back -no you may not-
cuddy mustve been expecting
this cuz he just goes

-why would you respond to
my request in that manner i
wonder- and richies smile
nearly breaks when he says
-because its invasive

-because its condescending
because it betrays trust-
cuddy raises his eyebrows
-trust- richie says –yes

-you should just ask me if i
did it id say no why the hell
would i you trust me the
end- cuddy gestures briefly
back at all of us

at the door -none of yr
classmates had any problem
with the search- and richie
looks away shrugs looks
back

-maybe they didnt think it
through clearly enough- and
someone not frejean shouts
from the back -let him look
asshole- and a few

guys laugh cuddy turns
shakes his head gestures with
his hand silence again his
tone is regretful -you know if
you dont let us search

-and all yr classmates do-
breathes -the finger of
suspicion will remain pointed
at you rightfully or not- tilts
his head

-can you withstand that sort
of pressure- and richie
doesnt even acknowledge the
threat -sure because i didnt
do it and you

-and everyone else should
believe me when i say that-
and cuddy is about to go on
when his eye is caught by
something on the bed

-is that yr teddy bear richie-
and richie smiles -sure is
thats ah pook the destroyer-
and nulles grunts and cuddys
face falls

-did you spray paint the wall
in the commons richie- and
richie doesnt look away but
doesnt respond either cuddy
steps closer

-did you take my car richie-
and richie looks away and
cuddy nods bites his lower lip
-okay i think were done
here-

then goes to turn away but he
is stopped again by all the
salinas school shooting stuff
taped up on richies wall he
gestures to it

-do you think this is
appropriate- and richie looks
up at the wall then back to
cuddy -i didnt know we had
to clear

-our room decorations with
you too- cuddy nods -room
decorations hmm- turns to
the physical plant guys -lets
move on- and they backtrack

through us at the door but
nulles stares at richie for a
few moments seething and
richie just stares back until
nulles grunts

turns on his heel and
steamrollers through the door
after hes gone the guys pour
into the room tyshawn goes
-were gonna get you

-you fucking asshole- and
frejean points at richie
-fucking dick that g5 better
be back tonight- richie clicks
his tongue and shrugs

and everyone else leaves but
me i ask him -what was that
all about- and richie starts
sorting a pile of books on his bed

-im just not gonna put up
with that kind of shit- and i
go -but if you let them look
they wouldnt have found
anything

-and this would already be
over for you now everybody
thinks you did it- richie sighs
-yeah i know but i didnt- and
i think for a minute

-is this like a principle thing-
and richie straightens up
looks at me -yeah its like a
principle thing-

i sit down on the other end of
the bed and start looking
through the books -you
know everyone thinks im an
asshole

-for even hanging out with
you- and he scoffs -so dont-
and i find this book by phillip
k dick and leaf through it

while richie keeps sorting and
silently making little stacks
of books between us on the
bed



Friday, September 11, 2009

RICHIE - CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (Twitter Novel / Keitai Shousetsu)



so next morning richie slaps
me on the leg and the impact
travels in a wave all the way
up my body and stops at my
head

where it wakes me with this

thudding horrible ache that is
instantly worse than anything
ive ever felt before

followed by an intense

feeling of blind panic -holy
shit holy shit did you take
the car back- i attempt to sit
up on the bed

which fails completely and

then i fall slowly back to the
pillow moaning richie laughs
-yeah yeah i took it back we
didnt get caught-

my suffering abates for a

moment -good- and then he
says –i left cuddy a note on
the steering wheel thanking
him for the loan though-

im reeling and i cant tell if

hes fucking with me or not
-oh god tell me yr kidding

me- and he says -naw i didnt
write that

-i wouldnt write something

like that- and again the pain
recedes for a second he goes
on -i wrote –ah pook is here-
on a post-it

-and left that on the steering

wheel- and i cant even get
pissed anymore -whatever
man- i just roll over

then he says -i didnt come

over to tell you that i came
over to tell you what i figured
out after last night

-about what you asked me in

the car- and i just moan
-jesus christ i dont care just

leave me alone- and put my
hands over my ears

his voice becomes oddly

thoughtful -you know when
you asked me that if we are
friends i actually had to think
about that-

i take my hands away from

my head and sigh -oh great i
cant wait to hear the rest-

-no really i mean theres

gotta be some reason i hang
out with yr beaver cleaver ass
right-

i dont say anything already

getting tired of being insulted
and hes just getting started

-what it is i think you

remind me of somebody that
i used to know that i really
liked- he stops for a minute

-or better yet i mean you

remind me of the kind of
person that person wouldve
really liked

-she was always saying i was

way too hard on everybody
except her and she wouldve
liked you a lot

-she wouldve been pissed at

me for being mean to you
and maybe she wouldve been
right so i guess we are friends-

im dizzy now -are you

talking about leander-

he shakes his head scowls
-no not at all-

//something goes off in my

brain through the fog//

-you mean jane jane tulle-

gannett-

his back straightens

involuntarily stops moving
tries to laugh it off -what-

-you do jane tulle-gannett

the dead woman we went to
see her grave-

he grimaces -you fucking

smackhead she was dead
before i was even born how
would that even be possible-

i kinda laugh -i dont know

but its her i dont know how
but it is her- i laugh again
-its her i remind you of or

someone shed like

-or whatever- richie gets up

shakes his head pats the bed
-okay hungover guy get
some rest apparently you
still got a lot to sleep off-

im amazed -i cant believe i

figured it out holy shit its
jane tulle-

and he cuts me off -just shut

up you dont know what the
fuck yr talking about just
shut up and go to sleep-

walks out of the room -dont

know why i even tried to be
nice to you fucking
smackhead-

but im right and i know im

right and i drift back off into
fuzzy half-sleep trying to
figure out how that could
possibly be


Saturday, September 5, 2009

RICHIE - CHAPTER TWENTY (Twitter Novel / Keitai Shousetsu)



i am drunk and stoned and i
am riding shotgun in a stolen
car and i have never felt
better in my life

i kissed a girl tonight and i

danced with another one and
i can still smell them on me
even with the window down

and the heater on

the air rushing in on my face
and through my hair is making
my skin feel alive with the
glory of love

and i know tomorrow im

gonna feel weird and
regretful about a couple of
the things that happened but

this other thing is buggin me

and i know im loaded but i
wanna know so i go ahead
and ask him anyway

-richie- nothing -richie-

nothing –RICHIE-
-what what i thought you

were asleep- and i realize my
eyes are closed

i open them turn in the seat

–are you my friend- and he
laughs –what what the hell
are you talking about-

-you heard me are you my

friend- he smiles funny says
–dee dee why would you ask
me something like this-

-cuz i dont know why you

hang out with me you always
say nasty stuff about me and
put me down

-and you dont even call me

by my goddamned real name
its desmond DESMOND-

-dee dee i know what yr real

name is- sighs almost –i dont
wanna call you the same
thing yr parents call you

-do you think my real name is

richie- and i think about it
for a second but i am way too
buzzed and i say

-no man no thats not it man

its about respect- and richie
laughs and laughs then asks
me if im mack daddy or
daddy mack

and i tell him to eat me and

he says something even ruder
back but by the time im ready
to respond im halfway up the
stairs

and then im in my bed

somehow and i think to
myself maybe i should take
my wet sneakers off

and then suddenly it doesnt

matter anymore


Wednesday, September 2, 2009

OVERLOAD ON OVERLAND!



The poets have taken over Overland! Go to http://web.overland.org.au/ and check out the many Overload Festival happenings being created and overseen by the lovely and talented Maxine Clarke!