Monday, December 24, 2007

Travelling

Again on the highway with tears in my eyes, cadenced by rhythm of concrete and steel, music of cloud vapour, music of signs - Blue Flame Clown Rental/Color Wheel Fencing - again overcome, again fever-driven, transported among the pylons and skid marks of the inevitable, sirens and call-boxes of a life I have laid claim to with a ticket found by chance in the pocket of a secondhand overcoat. And if it should come to that, if my fate is to be splayed on an altar of steel, heart held forth on an Aztec dagger of chrome, if this, then still I say it was beautiful, the freedom and speed with which you conveyed me, the way and the will, and I won't renounce the reek of acrid rubber or deny the need that sent me there, and I will not regret the purpose, the vehicle, the white line, the choice, and I will not mistake the message for the voice.
- Campbell McGrath, 'The Wreck', from Road Atlas (Ecco Press 1999)


That's it for 2007, folks. I'm off on vacation early tomorrow a.m. (going to catch me some of this here famed California sunshine) and won't be back till the first weekend in Jan. Till then, have a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year, work as little as possible, drink as much as you can and try not to make any resolutions you might be tempted to keep.

See you in 2008.

10 comments:

Space Bar said...

Have a good vacation! HNY and all that.

The ramblings of a shoe fiend said...

Have a wonderful time! see you in 2008!

Anonymous said...

Have a great time falsie...read as little as possible...date as many women as possible...basically do all what you don't ever do as much as possible. happy new year 2 u.

ggop said...

Happy Holidays!

Anonymous said...

i wish you children in 2008. lots of them, runny noses, fussy toddlers, a whole brat pack quivering for your attention, all over your neatly organised study, trampling all offshoots of creativity, i wish for you sleepless nights and wet beds and dirty diapers.

happy new year falstaff, i love your writings , envy your bachelorhood and pity your non fatherhood. After your california sunshine , get married and settle down. kids will change you for ever.

bricks said...

hehehe... kids? Is that a wish or what?? hehe :)

Happy New year to you.

pigudel said...

what is this here talk about kids?? you did take my backpack with you, yes?

Tabula Rasa said...

what, a prophylactic backpack? or a mere fig leaf?

Falstaff said...

SB: Thanks

shoe-fiend: I did. and i'm back. HNY.

anon: Thanks - but why date women when you can read books?

ggop: thanks

anon: errr...no thanks. Children are absolutely the LAST thing I want / need.

bricks: Not you too

preeti: Now why would I need your backpack. Being single is the most effective prophylactic ever, remember.

TR: Simply a backpack that comes with its own supply of condoms. (Insert joke about the beast with two backpacks)

Anonymous said...

well..becoz...u always read books and the idea was to do things which u hardly or ever do and that involves dating women or probably guys..whatever...welcome back...