From The Song Itself by Yaq Cuartz
My limbs hung heavy with the work of the
day. I felt the lactic acid inside my
muscles burn with anaerobic heat. It had
been a day of toil and a day of guilt. But,
as we drove back home, the guilt was
overcome by the strong aftertaste of
fatigue.
“Ya look damn beat,” Epi commented. “I
sure did wear ya out, or was it the tree
that did that?”
“Both,” I responded.
“Ya know, there was two important trees
in ol’ Eden: the Tree a Knowledge and the
Tree a Life.”
“Yes, I know,” I slurred tiredly.
“As I stated ‘fore, we done just now fell
the Tree a Life.”
“Yeah, you have said that,” I stated
apathetically.
“Well, ya didn’t notice that the ol’ Tree a
Life has got no fruit.”
“Yeah, it was a spruce—no fruit—
evergreen,” I said, shifting in my seat to
try to sleep.
“Ya see, the Tree a Life shoots straight
up, straight up ta heaven; the trunk goes
all the way from the ground ta the top,
and the branches come right off a it. But
the Tree a Knowledge, why, that’s a pear
tree (you know, I’ve seen it),” Epi looked
over at me and dug his elbow into my ribs,
“Don’t go ta sleep on me, kiddo, this shit’s
important. As I was sayin’, it’s a pear tree,
so that the trunk only goes part way up
and then the limbs all branch from it from
there. So ya got some big differences.
First off, ya got a hard wood verses a
softwood. (I reiteratin’ here fer a purpose,
it ain’t like ol’ Epi’s marbles’s scattered all
over). Next, ya got the branches comin’ off
all in different directions. After that, ya
got needles verses leaves, in other words,
evergreen verses deciduous—different
ways a collectin’ light). Very importantly,
ya got cones and fruit (i.e., different ways
a fuckin’).” He giggled. “Finally, ya got a
huge tree, nearly touchin’ heaven, as
opposed ta the relatively short pear tree.
Now I knows ya’re usin’ maple; it’s very
similar ta ol’pear, so don’t be frettin’. But
there’s so many fuckin’ differences ‘tween
life and knowledge, but ya don’t care,
‘cause ya’re basically crapped out, and I
can start talkin’ all kinds a mean an nasty
shit ‘bout ya,” Epi jiggled the steering
wheel to gain my attention.
“I heard you, ‘lots of differences’,” I
acknowledged.
“Ya know, this shit flowin’ from my
mouth, it’s some profound stuff. Ya
shouldn’t be sleepin’, ya should be writin’
it all down.”
“I’m memorizing every word of it,” I said
sarcastically.
“Don’t give me that shit, kiddo. Ya’re so
far from understandin’ anythin’, ya could
be lookin’ in a mirror and ya wouldn’t
recognize…” Epi stopped short of
finishing his statement. “Go ta sleep.
Sounds like ya’re in need a it.
Copyright 2007, Jacob Curtis
don't reproduce any of this content
without permission from the publisher.
Thanks.
My limbs hung heavy with the work of the
day. I felt the lactic acid inside my
muscles burn with anaerobic heat. It had
been a day of toil and a day of guilt. But,
as we drove back home, the guilt was
overcome by the strong aftertaste of
fatigue.
“Ya look damn beat,” Epi commented. “I
sure did wear ya out, or was it the tree
that did that?”
“Both,” I responded.
“Ya know, there was two important trees
in ol’ Eden: the Tree a Knowledge and the
Tree a Life.”
“Yes, I know,” I slurred tiredly.
“As I stated ‘fore, we done just now fell
the Tree a Life.”
“Yeah, you have said that,” I stated
apathetically.
“Well, ya didn’t notice that the ol’ Tree a
Life has got no fruit.”
“Yeah, it was a spruce—no fruit—
evergreen,” I said, shifting in my seat to
try to sleep.
“Ya see, the Tree a Life shoots straight
up, straight up ta heaven; the trunk goes
all the way from the ground ta the top,
and the branches come right off a it. But
the Tree a Knowledge, why, that’s a pear
tree (you know, I’ve seen it),” Epi looked
over at me and dug his elbow into my ribs,
“Don’t go ta sleep on me, kiddo, this shit’s
important. As I was sayin’, it’s a pear tree,
so that the trunk only goes part way up
and then the limbs all branch from it from
there. So ya got some big differences.
First off, ya got a hard wood verses a
softwood. (I reiteratin’ here fer a purpose,
it ain’t like ol’ Epi’s marbles’s scattered all
over). Next, ya got the branches comin’ off
all in different directions. After that, ya
got needles verses leaves, in other words,
evergreen verses deciduous—different
ways a collectin’ light). Very importantly,
ya got cones and fruit (i.e., different ways
a fuckin’).” He giggled. “Finally, ya got a
huge tree, nearly touchin’ heaven, as
opposed ta the relatively short pear tree.
Now I knows ya’re usin’ maple; it’s very
similar ta ol’pear, so don’t be frettin’. But
there’s so many fuckin’ differences ‘tween
life and knowledge, but ya don’t care,
‘cause ya’re basically crapped out, and I
can start talkin’ all kinds a mean an nasty
shit ‘bout ya,” Epi jiggled the steering
wheel to gain my attention.
“I heard you, ‘lots of differences’,” I
acknowledged.
“Ya know, this shit flowin’ from my
mouth, it’s some profound stuff. Ya
shouldn’t be sleepin’, ya should be writin’
it all down.”
“I’m memorizing every word of it,” I said
sarcastically.
“Don’t give me that shit, kiddo. Ya’re so
far from understandin’ anythin’, ya could
be lookin’ in a mirror and ya wouldn’t
recognize…” Epi stopped short of
finishing his statement. “Go ta sleep.
Sounds like ya’re in need a it.
Copyright 2007, Jacob Curtis
don't reproduce any of this content
without permission from the publisher.
Thanks.
All rights reserved for the The Song Itself A Gnostic
Remembrance. Copyright 2007, Jacob Curtis
Remembrance. Copyright 2007, Jacob Curtis