Poetry Writings Artwork and stories from Neil Furby

I heard from my daughter who heard from her x boyfriend that Pinot our family cat had died three months ago.

Why the x C had left it this long to inform of Pinot’s demise I do not know.

Perhaps he felt guilty, as we had left him to look after Pinot and Noir the two black cats who where twin brothers that were always together.

My daughter and her two daughters had to make a hasty retreat from the house she shared with C

This sudden departure came about after my daughter did something very silly on the evening of C’s father’s funeral, which made their future relationship null and void.

So the wash up was that the cats were left behind together with other loose ends, which can happen, in these tense situations

We had lot of fun times with these cats who where identical to look at but very different in behavior

They never got on with Jack the Jack Russell the family dog and he always crept around the cats always on the look out for the hiss and slap of claw on his small hind quarters

Farewell Pino 9 years old

]

These are two plays my theatre co-op Black Inc is producing for the Wellington Fringe Festival

From bravery to cowardice, so quickly 
From a force of arms, a sharp spear 
Long assegai, protective shield of tough bull hide to ‘disarmed native’ 
From thick tough soles embalmed in protective sandal to soft Bata-shoed feet 
From a tough stomach interior accommodating inkobe, roast meat, umqombothi 
To runny cholera-ridden iphalitsha tummies.  
From a proud uMthwakazi past, to a grovelling contemporary farm boy, mine boy, kitchen-boy.  

I saw her 4-wheel drive for sale outside the house when I passed it in P and memories came back of those drives in that vehicle around the Wellington area.

In Eastbourne where we drove on the sand and you took off your trousers and ran into the sea on a crowed Sunday afternoon

Driving along State Highway on the dead snake stretch, the CD player at max volume, the speed, the top down. Life and death in the balance.

Parked by the foreshore in the Hutt the evening summer sun streaming in as we held each other close

Driving you home with you asleep and then parking in your driveway and me walking away to catch a cab

Getting stuck on that metal road when you took one slope to many

Memories …..

Sunday 21 st Jan 

so we raced into town to get to the Happy Bar for the slam me and Linzy who said he wanted to drive after I offered but he having bought a new car for his painting business wanted to use his flash new number so in we ride and the Linz then says he is hungry so we stop for his chips at buger king and i tell him to park in the alley way where simon lives and so 10 mins we stroll back to the car heh shouts linzy my car is gone and he does a brief jig on the spot getting all fucked up inside so i say feeling bad cos my idea to park in the now empty alley call  the cops man he does and they say that his car would have been towed away bummer rap my bag with my poems in the car and linzy feeling down so we trot to the slam which was kinda spoilt for us me no poems and linz not really into his readings well Mike in a skirt drops us at the towning place and linz shouts at the dude behind the metal grilled counter who just says 180 dollars mate and linz hanging in with his justified rant the dude and his large dog barking just said "If I care" so money coughed up and we ride back to the big P and linz not really interested when i mentioned the Lembas Cafe reading up the coast the next evening

so we raced into town to get to the Happy Bar for the slam me and Linzy who said he wanted to drive after I offered but he having bought a new car for his painting business wanted to use his flash new number so in we ride and the Linz then says he is hungry so we stop for his chips at buger king and i tell him to park in the alley way where simon lives and so 10 mins we stroll back to the car heh shouts linzy my car is gone and he does a brief jig on the spot getting all fucked up inside so i say feeling bad cos my idea to park in the now empty alley call  the cops man he does and they say that his car would have been towed away bummer rap my bag with my poems in the car and linzy feeling down so we trot to the slam which was kinda spoilt for us me no poems and linz not really into his readings well Mike in a skirt drops us at the towning place and linz shouts at the dude behind the metal grilled counter who just says 180 dollars mate and linz hanging in with his justified rant the dude and his large dog barking just said "If I care" so money coughed up and we ride back to the big P and linz not really interested when i mentioned the Lembas Cafe reading up the coast the next evening

© 2004, Luz Helena Cordero

© Translation: 2006, Nicolás Suescún

Suicide Note This  suicide note was  gathered at the coroners' offices by a suicidologist/psychiatrist who asked to be anonymous

Divorced female, age 37

To No-one and Everyone:

Because of a growing conviction that a hereditary insanity is manifesting itself beyond my control, I am taking this way out -- before mere nuisance attacks and rages against others assume a more dangerous form.

Because I am an agnostic and believe funeral fanfare to be nonsense -- I ask that it be forgotten. Instead, knowing there to be a marked shortage of cadavers for the medical profession, for which I have endless respect, I hereby bequeath 1) my body to medics for dissection; also 2) To Mark B. all personal effects -- to be divided as whim decrees -- with Dr. Lois J., L.A. and to each -- a deep fondness and love. 3) To Joe A. the greatest devotion -- the kind that "passeth all understanding." 3a) And my life.

Anita R.

4) To my father, Vincent M., the sum of one dollar ($1)

@ Belinda Hunterford