“Did you get a chance to read my play yet?” Man says, “I want to burn something down.” “Anyway, I did a strikethrough and initial. “Pointless bodies on a pointless rock, convinced we matter. He says, “I did that New Year screw up on your contract. He draws up a contract for Man to keep things above board. Woozy go the lights, the workbench and his body like a different body as a grayness comes over him, the fainting and the floor, and the pain begins a courtship with his limb, and sleep. Adopted Father is already getting phantom feelings. Adopted Father is reminded of the boardwalk carnival trick where a person’s hand and a prop hand are separated by a curtain as someone strokes the real hand with a feather, then comes down on the fake one with a hammer or mallet, and the game’s participant flinches and winces and retracts even though no contact was made with the real thing. His hand is inches from his forearm, the distance so small and simple that it crunches his brain. It spurts from his open wrist to the beat of his beating heart. Looks more like low-budget slasher movie blood than hardcore realism blood. The amount of blood is simply tremendous. Upon hearing his wife yell through the house that, yes, no, seriously, this was it, the adoption had been approved, Adopted Father cuts his left hand off with a table saw. Adopted Father is at his workbench, trying to construct a crib, thinking that if he builds said crib the universe will have to assent, agree, sort of just let him have a win for once. The year is 1974, the sun a faded smile behind the clouds. The actual story is all dark and stormy night. I know, right? He’d say, Well, on the one hand… He wants to do stand-up comedy, open his tight-five with something along the lines of: What’s the deal with dads, am I right? See, my old man only had one hand. “You wouldn’t happen to have anyone you could set me up with, would you?” “I was under the impression that was part of the deal.” “Any interest in becoming partners in crime?” His plan is to bring in a companion, accomplice, compatriot. He wants to get into the burning-down buildings for money business. Don’t even get him started on reincarnation. He guesses the trouble began with his mother. Lately he’s got this ache in his head like a cold front. Mostly these days he feels recycled, amalgamed, trauma-tinged. Personal goals are fingers pointed at the moon. Never has he ever flown on airplane, seen ocean, met-cute, punched wall in heartbroke anger. A scanned draft of his last will and testament, the first line of which reads: I sure made a mess of this, didn’t I? Policies in triplicate because it never hurts to be over-insured. Also the first two acts of a five-act play, stellar dialogue but lacks compelling conflict. Watching a scumbag stoner conman movie, he whispers, “That’s not what it’s like.” On his computer are two hundred years of pirated movie soundtracks. Okay, he did end up with two years for wire fraud. Loopholes find fault in failures of imagination. The Moorish Castle’s Tower of Homage, symbol of the Muslim rule in Gibraltar.The first scam was parking outside the bank, mobile-depositing a check, running inside to cash it with the teller. Tariq conquered Spain, and established a Kingdom that lasted nearly a millennium. We know today, how Tariq’s decision to burn his ships panned out. We must ask ourselves: What are my ships? What am I afraid to let go of? In reality, we must learn to act decisively in spite of our fear. Here’s the key lesson: Retreat is easy when you have the option.Įvolution taught us to flee when in fear, so we postpone all important actions until the fears dissipates. Tariq ibn Ziyadįor Tariq, it was all or nothing! failure was not an option, so he took that out of equation, forcing himself and his men to either succeed or die. You have left now only the hope of your courage and your constancy. Oh my warriors, whither would you flee? Behind you is the sea, before you, the enemy. In a sermon to his troops in before The Battle of Guadalete, Tariq said: In 711, Tariq ibn Ziyad, (for whom Gibraltar is named) crossed the Strait from northern Africa, with his army of about 7,000 and embarked on the conquest of Spain, establishing the foundation for a Kingdom that lasted nearly a millennium!įacing an army of 100,000 upon landing, he ordered his ships burned, so his troops could not lose heart and flee.
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