HOW TO LOOK AT

THE OCEAN

(NOW I AM A FLOWER)

An OPERA-THING

BY ZEKE VIRANT

IN COLLABORATION WITH MICHAEL NEWTON AND TED QUINLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS AND SONGS

ACT I

SCENE 1

LEVIATHAN*

THE SEASHELLS SPEAK TO MOTHER(chorus, viola, cello, 2 Bb clarinets)

“Narrative Interlude”

DANCING SEASHELLS (chorus, piano, viola, cello, 2 Bb clarinets, vibraphone, marimba, electric bass)

ACT II

SCENE 1

HOW TO BE EVEN YET FULLER OF HOMELY EASE (everything)

SCENE 2

“Shades and his band”

WHISTLING IN THE WIND**

“Scotty and his crew”

THE WRINKLER

SCENE 3

“Man and Peppermint Man”

SCENE 4

“Scotty meets Shades”

THIS WILL BE THE DAY THAT I DIE*

SCENE 5

“Body Knowledge”

THERE YOU ARE

“The Mouth and LEVIATHAN”

+electronic and acoustic composition

*electronic composition and/or video

**Shades McGlenn quartet

NOTES

CHARACTER NOTES

LEVIATHAN is an omnipresent figure. His brooding amplifies possibilities through his words and the words he brings to others. He is an ancient creature of the sea in the manifestation of a man—his eyes the deepest hole of consciousness. He brings the Chorus of Seashells to life in Act One to retell the story of the Ocean.

THE CHORUS and ORCHESTRA are set up on stage and play a central role in portraying the very real and deep-seated reality of a performed opera—they are not a soundscape within a narrative: they are the opera. They remain on stage throughout the opera: in Act One, acting as Leviathan’s conduits for new reality; in Act Two, acting as the bar crowd (Shades McGlenn’s conduits).

AUDIO/VISUAL

One P.A. with one microphone set up onstage for Leviathan, and another set up on stage for use during Act Two by Shades McGlenn. Also, the P.A. needs to support output from a digital device used for playback of the pre-composed electronic compositions and samples.

Amplification for the electric guitar and electric bass in Shades McGlenn’s quartet.

One multi-purpose projector projecting onto a large screen at the back center of the stage. The projector needs an input for a computer for the live text typing in the pieces “IMAGINE,” “HOW TO BE EVEN YET FULLER OF HOMELY EASE,” and “NOW I AM A FLOWER.”

DIRECTING NOTES

The opera/thing plays out as a continuous action. It’s seams—various interruptions, scene changes, and songs—tie it together only if the opera/thing does not pause.

ACTING CAST (in order of appearance)

Man

Shades McGlenn (electric piano or keyboard)

Conductor and Pianist

Orchestra

Chorus of Seashells (S, A, T, B)

Leviathan

Scotty

Shades’ Drummer (The Wobbler)

Shades’ Guitarist (The Doctor)

Shades’ Bassist (Barry Fondler)

Dorie

Crumb

Charlie

The Wrinkler

Peppermint Man

ORCHESTRA

Piano

Organ

Viola (amplified)

Cello (amplified)

Bb Clarinet (x2)

Vibraphone

Marimba

Snare Drum

Drum Kit

Electric Bass

Chorus (s, a, t, b)

SHADES McGLENN QUARTET

Electric Keyboard (Shades)

Electric Bass

Electric Guitar

Drum Kit

The opera-thing premiered on December 13, 2008 at Bard College’s “Old Gym.” Zeke Virant directed.

Cast (in order of appearance)

Man Michael Newton

Shades McGlenn Zeke Virant

Leviathan Ted Quinlan

Scotty Nicholas Libowitz

Charlie Kent Gowen

Crumb                    Willy Crichton

Dorie                  Carl Kranz

The Wrinkler        Zeke Virant

Peppermint Man              Jake Teresi

Orchestra

David Bloom          Bb clarinet

Daniel Fishkin           bass guitar

Leah Gastler            viola

Samuel Israel           Bb clarinet

Emily McCabe          cello

Tobe Tsuchiya          piano

Aaron Wistar                percussion

Chorus

Leslie Allison            alto

Marielle Du Toit       soprano

Joey Guerin           bass

Carl Kranz           tenor

Leila Makdisi             alto

Shades’ Band

The Wobbler (drums)     Aaron Wistar

The Doctor (guitar)        Jonathan Nocera

Taps Fahrenheit (bass)   Daniel Fishkin

Tech

Will Field           Video Tech

Sara Frier           Stage Manager & Costumes

Kenji Garland           Sound Tech

Michael Porter         Lighting

ACT I: HOW TO LOOK AT THE OCEAN

THE FOLLOWING IS TYPED:

HOW TO LOOK AT THE OCEAN

Imagine: you’re a child

You are on a beach. You are the mother, the father and the child. You are Scotty. You want to play the best music anyone has ever heard. While You walk the ocean, you are the seashells

Imagine: on a beach, a child,

the same as every child, and you wonder if they sing for you. The seashells are singing.

Singing, and you begin to sing: mother and father and child. What you are.

Leviathan is listening.

The music for “LEVIATHAN” begins to play.

When the first loud noise in “LEVIATHAN” is played, the lighting changes back to red and yellow, and Leviathan enters through slowly through the audience.

LEVIATHAN:

[reading over the song]

Leviathan in the voice of the NARRATOR: Leviathan is listening

long menstrual lizard of hot wind speaking:

“draw a straight line

find your mother

find a straight line

draw your father”

the seashore cooing the morning’s churning light

dance their relief: the seashells speak:

“wanting to shape time,

fold time—clearly,

motion or time, changes in direction create expectations

pulling clarity of structure.

not having found (or is this happiness as mother’s ask)

after bull knotted

‘lapping fat milled, matriculation of .

example: continue talking about yourself

or:

scrawled flutter of fat

fallen son

greater than.’”

these are examples of folding.

Leviathan listens: a child rearranging childhood wonders the same:

Leviathan in the voice of THE CHILD:

“portioned fording slender river left stammer:

(‘straw simplicity

of you my shoes are muddy’)

of exoskeletal:

table tot, tot or something--------

resembling tot, tot , as a rock or was a rock and the rock became-----

Stephen and all this not God, but not God-like as a chair---

or a table, so as not to affect----

the rock’s motion---

the chair’s leg.

slacking carries

that is also circle A, circle A is inside Circle B. I take Circle B and circle circle A and make circle A where same and are Rosy things

mmdaughter’s pastel thinks about tables a lot.

St. George kills

kills slayed dragon

dragon virgin belly

box mourns

motion same

and are Rosy things”

Leviathan in the voice of the NARRATOR: Leviathan eyes the child, and in lament turns toward the seashells to listen to the widowed yelp:

Leviathan in the voice of the MOTHER:

“other my and his bathing

no night’s color,

the anchored sun

where trains turn pebbles on the cold railing

and tastes of gasoline

waits a few months and then tastes again

necessity of folding.

my child,

your eyes are pilots

over the asphalt’s armor

hot of the field’s return to height

or how the softer shells slap

across the hard sand”

Leviathan in the voice of the NARRATOR: her pretty highness

tying harnass to

the anger quelled of child bearing.

waits and reties fountains to their bathing

s -un and ties seashore for homecoming

sailors

knotting river in lamentations

uh waits

pauses in light

a daughter’s regret, a mother’s

child of

pitiless misery,

his father made his own and he left this child

mother

sings her lament’s to the seashore.

the seashells listen:

“LEVITHAN” fades into silence. The orchestra begins playing “The Seashells Speak to Mother.”

SOPRANO/ALTO CHORUS (sung): child of pitiless misery,

mercy, my child, my child,

still child, child,

the seashells, the seashells,

sovereign the sovereign daughters’

quelled anger of child, of my child,

the seashells

TENOR/BASS CHORUS(sung): child of pitiless misery,

my child, child made my own to save myself someday,

my child, still, my child, my child, child,

still knotting rivers in my child,

my child, child, my child,

daughter’s quelled anger of,

the seashells

After “The Seashells Speak to Mother” finishes, Leviathan speaks over the ostinato drone made by the orchestra/chorus (orchestra plays an A in unison).

Leviathan in the voice of the NARRATOR:

The ocean rests itself against the weight of the shore. It is under the first 7 miles, where the horizon begins. Each piece is given equal time. Each line presses against a circle at one point. There are also teeth.

Scene 1: on the steps of a beautiful sunrise!

Leviathan: breaking speech against repeating primes.

Son: is the only way.

Mother: is the other way.

Leviathan knows the last digit of the last number in the last sequence.

The son knows

It was during this interval that the beast approached the son. Self-interest is nothing more than the shore.

To suffer is to be selfish

Selflessness fell from her lips and broke against the tide

Look at all the seashells! she screamed at the son

But his mouth was already a mirror of a scale.

Orchestra and Chorus perform “DANCING SEASHELLS”

ACT II: NOW I AM A FLOWER

SCENE 1

A lamp comes on as the Shades McGlenn Quartet begins to set up the stage loading in band equipment and doing a very short sound check. If needed, stagehands help out and set up the scene to resemble a bar. While the stage is being set up, the composition “HOW TO BE EVEN YET FULLER OF HOMELY EASE” is performed. The chorus (costume change encouraged) enters gradually throughout the piece to sit around the bar and just hang out, drink, or lightly chat. A waitress (played by one of the chorus members) fetches people drinks during the performance of “HOW TO BE EVEN YET FULLER OF HOMELY EASE.”

HOW TO BE EVEN YET FULLER OF HOMELY EASE

For piano, Bb clarinets, viola, cello & video-projected typist.

This piece is approximately seven minutes long. The typist begins the piece by typing the following text at a rate of one stanza a minute:

Into myself, becoming children, my children

I am young, still.

If I relax,

the picture will fade.

You child-my grace,

I ask you to repeat,

return this passion, desire in these words, and in this,

believe in me.

How to be even yet fuller of homely ease, singing tuneless matrimony with the things around us, seeking stares of our fuller understanding of those that stare back, and not understanding, could just guess that it was okay to whatever found itself saying:

This is my body.

I am not afraid.

The heart follows the arms on the body,

the body with I: a way of light and body promise.

Light of self-critical obligation going toward no answer, no beginning, no hollowness: this is your body bringing you nowhere.

For the first five stanzas, 1^st clarinet and cello play in D Major, 2^nd clarinet and viola play in D Natural Minor, and the piano switches from D Major, D Minor, and D Diminished. At the sixth stanza until the end, the orchestra plays in D Major, except for the piano (which still alternates between D, D natural minor, and D diminished).

The orchestra begins the piece by playing as soft as possible (and sparsely), crescendos throughout the entire piece (becoming less sparse), and concludes by playing as loud as possible (and full).

After the typist has finished the text, the Conductor signals the orchestra to stop and the projector is covered.

SCENE 2

The scene: A shady bar. The orchestra is seated, chillin’ out, drinking beers, or just chatting. Shades plays a keyboard and with him is a small band, the Electric Shades Quartet, made up of a drummer, a guitarist, and a bassist. Shades McGlenn should begin his speech immediately after “HOW TO BE EVEN YET FULLER OF HOMELY EASE” is concluded.

Shades: Hello. My name is Shades McGlenn. I want to say thank you all so much for coming out here tonight and making us feel fine! You know, it’s a fine night for music, and everybody here looks so fine. The girls with their pretty dresses, and all the boys look so strong, or at least well-meaning if you know what I know, but really. Tonight we got a bunch of great guys playing some music, so let me introduce them to you.

(Scotty, Charlie, Crumb, and Dorie enter and sit at a bar table.)

On the bass guitar, let’s give it up for Barry Fondler! (Audience applauds and Barry plays a fill on the bass.) On the drums, The Wobbler. (Audience applauds and The Wobbler plays) And finally, on the guitar, The Doctor. (Audience applauds and The Doctor plays a guitar lick.)

This next song I’m gonna play you is a song I wrote when I was a young man. When I was a young man, I would walk around the streets with the wind blowing on me, with nothing, and the only thing I got was my whistle, so I would blow right back at that wind, you know? The name of this next song is Whistlin’ in the Wind.

The Shades McGlenn Quartet begins playing “WHISTLING IN THE WIND.”

Shades (singing): Well, we’ve all whistled in the wind,

Those long nights when you never could find a friend.

And it’s hard to be a young man facing the streets

With nobody

After the song, the crowd cheers loudly.

Shades: Thank you all very much! I’ll be back after a short set from The

Wrinkler. (Exits.)

Scotty: He can really tell a good story.

Charlie: Of course, he’s lived it. You just got to keep working.

Dorie: Sure, Scotty! Your songs are great!

Crumb: Nah, Scotty. Don’t listen to them. You’ll probably just get hit by a car anyway—I’m just teasing. Anyway… you should go meet Shades. He’s a real talented guy. You’re a talented guy.

Dorie: Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!

Scotty: Nah, what’s a little… kid like me got to say?

Crumb: My blood runs full under the sounds of delivery trucks and beating organs. The constrictions in my valve await the retracing of my blessings. No, I am not afraid. (Scotty nods.)

Dorie: We think the world of you. Do something. It’s been such a long time since you’ve done anything.

Scotty: It’s been so long since I’ve done anything.

Dorie: Come on, Scotty! You’ve got a long time coming, and you just can’t sit here all day talking and ah-laughing.

Charlie: Yeah, man. You don’t wanna end up like me. I got two jobs just to keep the world from not doing nothing. I buy a beer and I think about 30 minutes in a warehouse—you know, how much everything costs in relation to how much I’m getting paid. It’s like everything you do in relation to everything you don’t do. You don’t want that. You don’t wanna end up cussing and carrying on.

Scotty: Yeah, man. I know, I know. But, listen, I really gotta get outta here. This guy, The Wrinkler, he always messes with me.

Scotty gets up, but his friends hassle him to stay for the show. In the midst of the argument, The Wrinkler enters.

The Wrinkler: Happy Birthday, everybody! You know what I used to say when I was a young man—Fuck you. You know, it looks like we got a lot of school children in the audience tonight. Yeah, you know, I went to school once. About fifteen minutes. Just enough time to beat the shit out of somebody who fucked with me. My name’s The Wrinkler. I play one song, It’s about me, and it’s all I know.

The Wrinkler and Shades’ Band play “THE WRINKLER.”

THE WRINKLER (sung): They call me The Wrinkler of the seven seas,

They call me The Devil of the ancient need,

They call me a freight train burning in your heart,

They call me The Wrinkler the two-faced lark,

The fellows say Wrinkler ([male cast yells] Hey Wrinkler!) when I’m asleep at the wheel,

The ladies say Wrinkler ([female cast yells] Hey Wrinkler!) when I’m coping a feel

They call me The Wrinkler the blanched unbound,

They call me The Wrinkler the vacant found,

They call me a freight train burning in your heart,

They call me The Wrinkler the two-faced lark.

The bar audience applauds loudly.

Scotty: (Immediately after the song finishes—) I think I’m going to go to the bathroom! (Scotty exits.)

The Wrinkler: (Following Scotty offstage.) Where ya going, little boy? Where ya going?! Where you going! (The Wrinkler Exits.)

SCENE 3

The Chorus, who is acting as the bar crowd onstage, starts humming and carrying on while the following text is typed and continue to get louder as the man starts speaking. The scene between Man and Peppermint Man is set in front of the bar stage (not a part of the bar)—almost in the audience. Man and Peppermint Man are sitting in the front row of the audience. The following is typed:

There is something happening: and when we see it together, do you feel a swell of heart? It is something that grows in us, a bothered little boy with wild hair and teeth red from candy sits under the tree with can of coke lazing in the soft dirt.

He is the son of pretty parents and good kind memory.

“Listen: I will not say to you, ‘Nothing.’ I will not be in you ‘pain.’”

Man: (Man enters the stage in a fury.) oh, God! you can hear it everything! that sounds! the sounding howl of beating waves! all sorts of waves! the resounding luminous love of all men caught in beauteous resonance with all things! the sounds of warming the heart to what we are! oh my! look at it! no, no, no… just, it’s like a million other things—the howl of humanity or the subtly of the human voice!

(The Peppermint Man enters the stage in a leisurely walk.)

The voices stop. As the Peppermint Man gets further into his speech, the voices get louder—eventually getting louder and louder to overwhelm the Peppermint Man’s voice.

Peppermint Man: But, the human voice has a fine odor that hassles our entrance into perfection. Here, try a peppermint.

(Peppermint Man hands Man a peppermint. Man eats the peppermint and falls down, “choking.” The voices resume humming at a low volume.)

I’m a peppermint man, myself. Keep keeping with all my days wish-washed, what-nots, a trickster. I like to play with words and who hows, help out with howevers, and eat a finer steak with my happy times at a harder days night. However, I keep a peppermint handy at all times to keep with whatever I need keeping. (louder) Now, I’m not a bad guy—(louder… getting nervous) NOW, I’m not a bad guy… —but, what we need is to keep going, (louder than Pep. Man) KEEP GOING TO KEEP WITH HUMANITY IS… IS… IS… MY GOD! HOW DO YOU THINK WITH ALL THIS GOING ON? THESE SOUNDS… WHAT ARE THEY DOING? GOOD OR ALL BAD?

(Peppermint Man falls down, and chorus stops humming. Man gets up.)

Man: what is this bad thing?

Peppermint Man: It’s just this sound, over and over—I don’t want to hear it anymore.

Man: it’s a bad sound?

Peppermint Man: Of course, whiny little sounds over and over. I just don’t want to hear it anymore!

Man: and you can just take it away?

Peppermint Man: Of course I can! I’m a Peppermint Man!

Man: you mean, you can just stop it?

Peppermint Man: Yes, yes! Of course, whatever you want!

Man: Wait, we decided?

Peppermint Man: No… (playing tricky) Yes, of course!

Man: my God! that’s it!

Peppermint Man: Ha ha! Yes it is!

Man: no, no, no. just listen, it’s like, okay, I know this is going to sound a little WHATEVER OUR CHILDREN HAVE TO SAY TO… US, but it’s not…

Peppermint Man: Wait, you’re not saying anything.

Man: no, no, no. just listen, it’s here… right on the top of my head. I can’t quite come around to anything—it’s like everything I do and everything I try just never works out—it’s like I need time to figure these things out but—

Peppermint Man: (interrupting Man) Here, have a peppermint.

(Man eats peppermint and goes into a choking fit. The Chorus begins humming at a low volume and gradually crescendo until He stops himself and repeats his supernatural vision.)

Man: We seem to have turned a corner, my young friend. We seemed to have come to the end of the fuse which is the beginning of the ahhwwhhhahh—I see a field now: horse corpses and barrels of oil. I want to throw you in it and call it a pool of my own, friend. I want to pick your bones clean and call you thin.

Peppermint Man: What do you mean?

Man: Shut up, boy. Just be quiet. Can’t you see the money? Can’t you see the money, boy? Can’t you see the money? You just were never good enough, that’s the problem! You were never good enough at looking! You never good enough and your mother knew it and that’s why she’s dead now!

Peppermint Man: Oh Man, you don’t mean that, do you?

Man: Oh, I mean it so much, my boy. Do you hear how our two voices are becoming one? it’s unavoidable. We’re like dogs and owners looking like each other. And I hate it. And I hate it. And I hate it. And I hate it.

Together: I hate it!—

SCENE 4

The lights suddenly go to black. They slowly come back up as the orchestra and chorus begin singing in the bar. The chorus comes out of their humming and slurs into singing “American Pie.” This connects the two scenes together. Scotty, visibly drunk, enters drinking a beer and singing with the chorus and sits back down with his friends. The cello[s] and viola[s] glissando up the lowest strings of their instruments, brash and slow. The Shades McGlenn Quartet minus Shades joins in the noise making, but not loudly. The noise making of the cello[s], viola[s], and Shades’ Band linger a few awkward seconds after the bar crowd finishes singing. Only after the bar crowd finishes singing does Shades’ Band overpower the cello[s] and viola[s] ending this interruptive segment with a cymbal crash. Man and Peppermint Man crawl offstage.

Everyone at the bar: (Coming out of the humming and slurring into their singing) Bye, bye, Miss American Pie! Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. Them good old boys are drinking whiskey and rye singing: this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die. (Man and Peppermint Man take a seat on stage.)

Shades is seated minding his own business. Shades’ band quietly plays free jazz that can be heard by the audience but not overwhelm the drama on stage. The band plays off of the drama unraveling on stage.

Dorie: Scotty, man, you got to lay off the sauce man. You smell like you been rolling in gasoline.

Charlie: Yeah, man, but he’s got to take another sip of social lubrication and talk to Shades.

Crumb: Yeah, yeah, man, you got to go talk to Shades. That was his last set. He’s going to go.

Scotty: Yeah, yeah. Shut up. I’m going to.

(Scotty stumbles out of his chair. Shades is sitting away from him sipping his own drink. Shades avoids eye contact with Scotty as he approaches him.)

Scotty: Hey, man. I wanted to meet you for so long. Hey, I’m Scotty. I am your biggest fan. You are the reason I write songs. You know, man, I used to come down here and see you play all the time, and I would go home in the middle of your set, man, because I was so inspired to write some songs, man, you know? You’re great, man. You know? So, uhh, thanks, man.

(The Shades McGlenn Quartet should stop playing before Shades delivers the

next line.)

Shades: It’s a job. (Band plays)

(The Shades McGlenn Band interrupts the silence with a few seconds of loud jazz. The chorus and orchestra should also talk loudly for a few seconds as if they were the actually at a bar. Everyone in the bar stares at Scotty while speaking. After a few seconds the chorus and orchestra become silent and the free jazz gets almost silent. The band continues to at Scotty as they play.)

Scotty: Man, I got all these songs, man, and I just want you to know that it’s because of you.

Shades: Yep.

Scotty: What?

Shades: You think you can play a song? You good enough, boy?

Scotty: What do you mean?

Shades: Ain’t you got no mind to know what I’m telling you boy?

Scotty: What are you trying to say?

Shades: Can you hear me boy?

Scotty: What do you mean by all of this?

(Everything becomes quiet.)

Shades: You know, when I was a young man, I could dream so many good songs that I wouldn’t even care if I forgot them. We had no need to write them down! We were the music. We were singing songs in everything we said, and you know, when you get older, it ain’t so easy. So shut up and go play your fucking song.

(Scotty has no idea what Shades is talking about)

So… I’ll let the boys know and you can get up there and play a song.

Scotty: Oh, thank you! Thank you, Shades!

Shades: Your welcome, son.

(Shades nods at his band. They stare back blankly. In response to their silence,

Shades taps his head violently. The band nods slowly at Shades.)

Shades: Alright boy, get up there.

(The band leers at Scotty as he stumbles onto the piano.)

Dorie: Come on, Scotty, play something!

Crumb: Come on, Scotty!

(Shades stares at Scotty and then gets up to walk to the stage. People begin to cheer.)

Shades: (into the stage microphone) Hey, hey. Hello. Alright, alright. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you all for coming out and giving us so much. You’re beautiful people, all of you. Really, I mean it. Normally I wouldn’t do this, but I want to introduce you to a young man who I just met tonight. This young man here, as you probably already know, Scotty, well, he has a song for us. He introduced himself to me a moment ago with a bright looking eye, so let’s cheer this boy on. C’mon Scotty!

(The audience applauds. Goes into “THIS WILL BE THE DAY THAT I DIE.”)

SCENE 5

(After “THIS WILL BE THE DAY THAT I DIE” is finished, everyone remains frozen in place while the following text is typed onto the projector screen. As the lines are typed, the corresponding characters say their lines.)

Dorie: That was great!

Charlie: You’re wonderful!

Crumb: Encore!

Shades: Who’d have thought?

(Scotty and the band perform “THERE YOU ARE.” Lights fade back into stage lighting for the duration of Scotty’s performance of the piece.)

Scotty (singing): Slowly, the pain in our hearts, becomes you and me,

So when you sing, sing sad songs—shitty memories.

Because, you know, sometimes words they don’t work,

And nothing is all you feel you’re worth,

And everything you say is painful and revealing?

Here we are, here I am, shitty memories.

There you are, here I am.

Here we are, here I am, shitty memories.

There you are, here I am.

Because, you know, sometimes words they don’t work,

And nothing is all you feel you’re worth,

And who cares if everything you say is painful and revealing?

After Scotty and the band finish, the bar crowd suddenly comes back to life (hopefully both audiences) begins cheering. On the center projector, a video of a mouth comes up. The mouth opens and closes widely like a mixture of chewing and talking but does not say anything. The bar crowd watches it as the cheering dies down. Silence.

The members of the chorus in the bar crowd stand up and walk to the center of the stage while the mouth is still playing on the screen. Leviathan enters.

LEVIATHAN:

Now I am a flower,

(we are giving ourselves names to feel lighter;
we are easily tricked)

a way of expressing ourselves: finding a voice to simply have one

(finding a voice—

not simply having one)

Cutting down a bush and arranging the leaves:

Cover the room with anything and think of a flower,

(if you can do all things)

Fade to black. Mouth is left moving until… projector is covered. The end.