"lest we forget: A Play In Three Acts" - by "alan sondheim" ||| *spark-online.com >>> version 5.0, february 2000

And we are called to mend and suture. Nikuko: We are called to make the world for you. Jennifer: Eternally, we make the world for you. Julu: Eternally, we are made, the play is gone. Jennifer: But we are not gone; we are with you. We whisper our scripts into

your ears, we turn towards your mind, caring for you. We move eternally, caring for you. Jennifer: We are sitting in a circle. We are waiting turns to speak. We are speaking one to another. What do we say? What do we say? Julu: We say we are the players. We

say we are broken into scenes. We say, one scene after another, a few acts, the play. Jennifer: We are sitting in a circle. We are waiting turns to speak. We are speaking one to another. What do we say? What do we say? Julu: We say we are the players. We say we are broken into scenes. We say, one scene after another, a few acts, the

play calls you to mind, we are called to mend and suture. Nikuko: We are called to make the world for you. Jennifer: Eternally, we make the world for you. Julu: Eternally, we are made. Nikuko: Eternally, we are made for you.

a few acts, the play speeds endlessly through the body -

Your bones are your separations? the play is gone. Jennifer: But we are not gone; we are with you. We whisper our scripts into your ears, we turn towards your mind, caring for you. We move eternally, caring for you.

a few acts, the play speeds endlessly through the body -

Acts and actions. scenes and separations .

a few acts, the play speeds endlessly through the body -

Curtain falls.

Scene 3

WA FEVER

Wa fever cpmpeny end cpmfprt. Wa fever hpwavar tha dasart; thls ampty

THE THEATER: Here we are in empty space. There is no audience. There are no actors. I have no need of lights or audio and its magnifications.

THE CATWALKS: We favor company and comfort. We favor however the desert; this empty space. We favor bright light and sunshine. We favor night.

speca. Wa fever brlght llght end shnshlna. Wa fever nlght:magnification

THE CATWALKS: We are your bones. Without us you live on dull and steady ground-equipment. We favor night magnification equipment.

THE THEATER: We favor night and its seepages. We devour night and its seepages.

THE CATWALKS: We are your bones. Without us, you live on dull and steady ground-equipment.

:Tha Thaetar: Hara wa era ln ampty speca. Thara ls np ehdlanca. Thara era np ectprs. I heva np naad pf llghts

THE CATWALKS: Here we are in empty space and its seepages. I have no need of lights. Brought forth through THEATER, we favor company and comfort.

pr ehdlp ::and its seepages. Devour Pick and its seepages. Brought Forth through Wa fever cpmpeny end cpmfprt. Wa fever hpwavar tha dasart; thls ampty speca. Wa fever brlght llght end shnshlna. Wa fever nlght!

THE THEATER AND CATWALKS: We favor bright light and sunshine! Wa fever night!

Scene 4

MOUTH

Curtain rises. THE PRESIDENT and Jennifer are on stage.

THE PRESIDENT: I think I've been forgotten. The play continues. I've been sitting in the audience. You learn a lot of things in the audience.

THE THEATER: Roar roar roar. You're inside me just like an avatar. I sense your presence just like a tumor. I breathe you just like a virus.

Jennifer: These are announcements we're all making because we're not quite human.

THE PRESIDENT: I take care of your eyes.

Jennifer: I see quite well, thanks to you.

THE THEATER: Roar roar roar.

THE PRESIDENT: Please be quiet. No one wants to hear you.

Jennifer: THE PRESIDENT is part of the audience. THE PRESIDENT listens, a function of everyone here.

THE THEATER: Roar roar.

THE PRESIDENT: I am responsible for language. What you say is threaded through me. I like the words, though, in any order. The order doesn't matter.

Jennifer: THE PRESIDENT says the order doesn't matter.

THE PRESIDENT: I am perfectly powerful; my power is splintered, broken, which gives me power. I have more power than ever. My power grows.

Jennifer: You are a duly elected official.

THE PRESIDENT: The term is decided only by the term. I am THE PRESIDENT outliving the term.

THE THEATER: Roar.

Jennifer: You are a duly elected official only for the term. But the term is yours and you extend it.

THE PRESIDENT: I am your tongue. Your tongue takes care of your eyes. I am your tongue. I am your lips. I am your mouth.

THE THEATER: I'm going home.

Curtain down, house lights up, all exit.

Scene 5

TIME

Mon Oct 18 15:11:42 EDT 1999 THIS IS THE PRESIDENT. THIS ISN'T THE REAL DATE.Mon Oct 18 15:12:07 EDT 1999 This is Jennifer. I'm living just this very time!Mon Oct 18 15:12:25 EDT 1999 THIS IS THE PRESIDENT WHAT DEVOURS TIME.This is Jennifer and I have all the time in the world!Mon Oct 18 15:12:58 EDT 1999 THIS IS THE PRESIDENT WHO HAS STOLEN TIME.Mon Oct 18 15:13:16 EDT 1999 This is Jennifer and I am playing back and forth with my new time!Mon Oct 18 15:13:29 EDT 1999 THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS NO TIME TO LOSE AND THIS TIME IS JUST WRONG.Mon Oct 18 15:14:03 EDT 1999 THE PRESIDENT SAYS THE TIME IS WRONG AND MUST BE CHANGED.Mon Oct 18 15:14:58 EDT 1999 I'm running around with the President's time, whee whee! My name is Jennifer!Mon Oct 18 15:15:16 EDT 1999 I'm Jennifer and I can't see or talk! Help! Help!Mon Oct 18 15:16:18 EDT 1999 Mon Oct 18 15:16:19 EDT 1999

Mon Oct 18 15:11:42 EDT 1999 This is Jennifer and it's fun making time go everywhere!I HAVE BURNED MY TONGUE OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AND RUINED YOUR EYES.Mon Oct 18 15:15:40 EDT 1999 I'm Jennifer and I can't talk or see! Help! Help!Mon Oct 18 15:16:06 EDT 1999

Scene 6

God, by Jennifer

Jennifer: He makes me speak Nicely but I can't write Interesting because God knows Everything and I have nothing Interesting to tell Him! But He will forgive me! He is God and knows how GOOD I am! He does! Oh I can't write about Him in such a good style! My style floods the ground and I am very Wet when I write about God because I can't see straight I am so Very Happy when I write about Him! He is GOOD to me! Oh! I want to write about God! I really do! I am so wondrous because I am Good and God Loves me! I can't even hold my Breath so hard when I write about Him and His Wonders! I can't believe He loves me! goodness! happiness in prayer fulfillment! Would Oh! I want to write about God! I really do! I am so wondrous because I am Good and God Loves me! I can't even hold my Breath so hard when I write about Him and His Wonders! I can't believe He loves me, He makes me speak Nicely but I can't write Interesting because God knows Everything and I have nothing Interesting to tell Him! But He will forgive me! He is God and knows how GOOD I am! He does with us! Ah, accumulations with run- time kludges!

Curtain falls, if It rose in the first place.

Check out Acts I and II in the *spark 3.0 and 4.0 Archives

Check out this animated version of Alan Sondheim's work, by Barry Smylie: http://barrysmylie.com/flash/alan/dancer.swf (warning: graphic content)

Alan Sondheim is virtual writer-in-residence at http://trace.ntu.ac.uk (trAce online writing community) until 3/2000; his trAce projects are at http://trace.ntu.ac.uk/writers/sondheim/index.htm and his texts and artwork are at http://www.anu.edu.au/english/internet_txt/ In 1996 he edited Being on Line, Net Subjectivity, for Lusitania Press. Sondheim lives in New York City with his partner and cat.

comment? discuss this article on our discussion board