Murnau

We watch the old movie on an old TV sitting on an old couch
with a curtain pegged sideways over the french doors
In the film a man is stripped of himself and so dies.
Or his luck turns and he lives in a gemutlich heaven on earth.
There is an option.
A studio in Germany between the wars got up into a sliver of city.
The business of the world is condensed and flickers with a rage, slowed to squeeze the cruel second fully.

Suddenly the french door is quickly, quietly  opened.
A gust of wind?
But then the curtain is moved  by  a small force.
A dextrous animal?
From behind the curtain, out of a late summer night
a child appears, so out of his expected place he stops dead, his face a mask.
This sudden beauty makes me smile and say hello.
The child as silent  and remote as any film, only sees  our very strangeness
and vanishes to those who guard him.
On screen,  neighbourhood urchins torment in play.
They  would be ancient now if they had survived.
We glance at one another, the apparition still with us and the loss of another between us

World Class Life: the mash up.

World Class Life

Coming here tourists will swim in a world of sheer luxury and exclusivity
the pool water was so cloudy  we could not see the bottom of the pool
always there are guys standing at the entrance
and open the door whenever guests come
the  processed ambience quickly renders customer’s senses
 a pillow menu and a choice of exclusive soaps
signature long stem 430 thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets
with stained carpets all around our bed
sunglasses cleaning, and daily beach treats served on a complimentary basis
coral species that can survive the next hot water events that may affect the gulf
set off in search of Hanuman, the monkey god and legendary guardian of the bay
gave him a tip, he was very happy and swarmed me with many bottled water everyday
the TV system hanged a few times and we had to call 2 times
the perfect blend of idyllic tranquillity and perfect comfort
somewhat outdated furniture
the discerning connoisseur will come to expect
infused with an ambiance enhanced by touches of aesthetic charm
grime buildup on the white doors
and lets them indulge themselves in the seduction of brands
however, after 3 hours, the TV hanged again
even though they come from the world-class life
they may find it hard-pressed in the experience here.

Hometown news.

In that quiet city of ghosts.
The son was found on a quiet street, in his pyjamas distressed and hysterical pointing back to the small low rent house.
He was mentally impaired and his mother was quiet
She was quiet and kept to herself
She could be seen some mornings scooting with her son down the hill to the local school, some mornings not.
He was led away in his socks by relatives
The quiet mother was unwell.
Winter in that part of the world could fall like a slab of cement
It gained weight if you lived on the wrong side of the street, shade imposing an icy months' long sentence.
It required resources to work lose from the pressing night air seeping out of the  early darkness
People were invisible, they floated into their homes unseen and stayed there while outside the street lights were like sharp sticks in the eye.