Coyote by David Fischer dave@cca.org Copyright (c) 1998 by David Fischer Giant coyote eats screaming lobstermen pulling in the day's catch crunching bones and squirting blood attracts several vulture-snails who circle ominously leaving a slimey-cloud sky glistening, dripping, hanging dismally over the peacefull villiage of mourning typists who beat their chests and berate their fate, abandoned by the royal family who have fled public life locked all doors shuttered windows silence emenates from the courtyard like plague-passed towns, the castle seems to hold its breath I jump up and down and pull my ears crunching gravel between my teeth I spit blood into the sea foam and leap across the chasm lava rough footing homemade clothes set me apart on the city streets "I used up four car tires making this jacket!" It has a lot of pockets for dead birds such pretty feathers blue along one side, diagonal striped green and white along the other the colours of the natural world can be breathtaking surprised coming out of an alley he tried to pull me down hit me his threats collapsed with one impact his throat with another and I flew away like the california condor such a beautifull bird if an aquired taste scary but majestic I like them. Perched on a hillside overlooking their last nesting ground the only place in the entire wide wide world the condor still survived I spy with my twisty eye a man dressed in stealth sneaky sneaky through the nesting grounds bad man falls down and I slip away unseen. Lichens are beautifull too. Black crunchy asphalt melting on my tongue snapping telephone poles I don't think of sagacity when I think of SAGE No disrespect - I've sat at the main console and at a gunner's console and it is an awe-inspiring machine but Sage? That's odd. I wonder if I could get a small business loan to start a cult. we're the hardware store inside of your head. I will give young people the benefit of my doubt. My closest companions all live in rotting tree stumps They lick the dew off heavy leaves, and collect nuts and berries they find hidden in amoungst the layers of pine needles that carpet the forest floor. They are a varied lot, but the one common factor is that they are all representatives of imaginary species. Crackle burn hiss ka-boom curling dancing plume soot darkens sky flames push fear bursting through doors burrows nests no questions insufficent time insufficient logic my legs begin to run before I quite know why returning at length we look at our land, astonished to find time-conquered doom, fire no more forest too has vanished mysteriously how does the fire so seduce our beautifull and virtuous glade and carry her off so willingly? understanding ecological catharsis does not heal my expression as I stare at the charred remains of all I knew and loved. rebuilding heals mankind as isolated fires cure forest stagnation We build coyotes we started with garbage from the gutter went collecting the day before the trashman comes every week stuff washed up by the river jumping barges cut loose by the storm destined for the bottom of the sea telephone wire stepper motors and photo sensors the first few had wheels the limited environment coyote was fast but slow he was dangerous but it was safe to be his prey legs next like a giant furry drooling cockroach with fangs more legs is easier then we had to whittle down on the limb budget each leg has to be more sophisticated as it looses its siblings One person thought that the one-legged coyote would be the ideal should be what we strive for we kicked him out killed him and used his head as part of the first four legged coyote Beep beep beep traffic jam congestion breeds contortion stagnation doom doom frolicking noise skries to heaven Do you know pain? Do you know truth? Come down here That you might learn.