for Anne Boyer
On a long flight I created a (Soma)tic ritual for my extraordinary friend Anne Boyer, but I only allowed myself 10-minutes to come up with the ritual once I boarded the plane AND I was forbidden to use former ideas I’ve developed on planes. In the rear of the jet was an EXIT sign, the letters cut into a metal plate with a red light shining from behind. Throughout the flight I would walk to the sign and SLAM my head against the letters, starting with E. Each time I would steal a beverage or almonds or cookies and I had to share them with the stranger next to me.
On a long flight I created a (Soma)tic ritual for my extraordinary friend Anne Boyer, but I only allowed myself 10-minutes to come up with the ritual once I boarded the plane AND I was forbidden to use former ideas I’ve developed on planes. In the rear of the jet was an EXIT sign, the letters cut into a metal plate with a red light shining from behind. Throughout the flight I would walk to the sign and SLAM my head against the letters, starting with E. Each time I would steal a beverage or almonds or cookies and I had to share them with the stranger next to me.
It was my lucky day as the man next to me never shut up and no matter what I threw into the conversation he was game. At first he annoyed me, but soon enough I became fond of his long stories about asbestos. SLAM the E, “When E was first invented why did they shape it like that?” He answered, “E is for Elephant!” I said, “E is for ELVIS!” YES we both said YES ELVIS. He enjoyed my theft of cookies and tiny bottles of rum. SLAM the X, SLAM the I, missed the I, did it again, SLAM the T. He answered T was for the crucifix. Why, I asked. “Because Christ is our savior.” “Oh, I see, it’s like that is it, JESUS, we need to bring him up DO WE?” We both laughed because in the end it was clear I didn’t mind his flux of Jesus as we drank our rum and talked of asbestos and Elvis and the shapes the alphabet has rendered us all for centuries FULLY COOKED HUMAN BRAINS. My notes became a poem titled, "HE CALLED ME A MORBID SON OF A BITCH AND IT GAVE ME PAUSE"
