res cogitans

res cogitans

 

I see you.

wearing your fear

like the Scavengers

Daughter.

 

your purpled

brains expanding

like a spooked

blowfish.

 

advice? become

smaller;

microscopic,

 

and roll into

a membranous ball;

an amoebic cyst,

 

until your skull splits

open,

and the existential

pudding

rolls forth.

 

then, quickly evaporate,

and ride a cool breeze

to duller thorns.

 

later,

scientists &

theologians

will question your

existence,

and,

when the stars

are just right,

barefoot tribal

types will chant

about your glorious

entrails.

Author's Note

* The Scavenger's Daughter (or Skevington's Daughter) was invented as an instrument of torture in the reign of Henry VIII by Sir Leonard Skeffington, Lieutenant of the Tower of London,[1] a son of Sir William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland, and his first wife, Margaret Digby. It was an A-frame shaped metal rack to which the head was strapped to the top point of the A, the hands at the mid-point and the legs at the lower spread ends; swinging the head down and forcing the knees up in a sitting position so compressed the body as to force the blood from the nose and ears.

*res cogitans -
(Latin, a thinking thing) The famous answer given by Descartes to the question, ‘what am I?’ as it occurred after the method of doubt left him with only the proposition, ‘I think, therefore I am.’ It is contrasted with res extensa or extended material things.

Reviews

[LJW]

I have been writing most of my life. Been on this site and others, published, yadda yadda yadda.

Hands down, this is the best piece of writing I've seen in 30 years.

Read your explanation after. Even without that, maybe better without that, this piece is original, smart, mind blowingly good.

[adytum]

this is good

[roarke]

I was going to suggest you read some selections from Reader's Digest or the Christian Scientist Monitor.... but, never mind.