Lead Igloo | Stories, Philosophy, Opinion
Qualify.
He sits on the edge of his bed, chilled by the morning air, mind filled with the fractured thoughts of the morning dream, something about a dog and the sense of something sexual. A dog barking and a sexual act, so far apart that they could be separate dreams.
He walks stiffly into the bathroom, lifts [...]
Untitled VIII
Earphones dangling, blank-staring, cuticle-cleaning, heal-tapping. Phone button-depressing.
All with a life of their own.
LI
Notebook 11.02
It looked like she was still staring at him, but he couldn’t tell; the pub was dark, the art deco lamps emitting a dull, sickly glow that seemed to hang in the air like a fog.
The manager had probably made the place like this, he thought, to attract the kind of crowd that was here [...]
Watering – Part II
There is a plant on the kitchen window sill that he waters every night. It’s only small – it’s still in the original flimsy plastic pot – and he keeps it in a little ceramic bowl. But he waters it every night, pouring water into the plant’s centre until the water rises up out of [...]
Get another one
“Well, is that right? Television isn’t real life, sweetie. Neither are the movies. Believe you me, you know nothing about love. You won’t learn nothing about the real world from there. All that stuff you see on TV is make-believe. Your Aunty Vanessa? Good God. She doesn’t know much about anything let alone love. Kaycee, [...]
Watering the plants
He pulls the sliding door across and steps out onto the balcony. His bare feet are warm on the tiled floor. He puts his hands on his hips. This bloody summer sun – his girls have been fried. He picks up the two plastic bottles he keeps by the door and takes them inside. At [...]
Absolutely
She turned away from me, like it was her failing, while I lay on my back. It was also me who got up first, collecting my singlet and briefs from the floor on my way to the bathroom. The light, the room’s whiteness, was merciless as ever.
When I returned, she was gone, clattering around with [...]
Keith – Novel extract
While the barman pulled my beer, I looked around. Nearby, waiting to be served next, was a large man in a polo shirt and shorts, fingering his wallet. The bar lights made shadows on his face and chest, accentuating his size. On the side of the bar was a door, obviously to the pokie room. [...]
For modern admirers – Still Life, Breakfast with Glass of Champagne and Pipe
Detail of Still Life, Breakfast with Glass of Champagne and Pipe by Jan Davidsz. de Heem. Image courtesy of Liechtenstein Museum.
Mid breakfast, pomegranate opened. Lemon peeled, bread roll sampled.
For modern admirers, the painting simply is, it is as if it never not was. At no time in history were we without this. Contemporary eyes can’t [...]
Notebook 23.11
The red ‘do not walk’ glyph stops flashing and stays lit. The cars start again. He stops before the curb with all the others, out of the sharp morning sun, in the cool shadow of a tall, nameless building. He does this every day – either he makes the light just before it goes green [...]