Saint Louis, Missouri
Wagner drove way too long yesterday. Spider Monkey and I both took ephedra capsules with him to stay awake and keep us on the road. I think Wag drove something like 16 hours straight. He refuses to let anyone else drive his van, and he said, “Why stop now? I don’t want to sleep in the van when we’re this close to my apartment!”
Even on ephedra we zone out towards sleep. I tug on Wag’s earlobes and scratch his scalp to keep him alert. I read every sign we pass out loud. Wagner teases me: “I made it past the third grade, Hunter!” But I notice he needs to concentrate to keep in our lane. I’d rather read all the signs and get teased than swerve off the road.
His apartment is in the St. Louis suburbs. It looks like any suburbs. It’s hot and muggy here. The cicadas make a high whirring click noise all day long, and even louder at night. I see fireflies for the first time, rising like orange sparks before they blink off. The plants and animals are unusual to me. None of the birds seem familiar.
Wag leaves to run errands. The rest of us stay at his place. It’s a small one-bedroom apartment with no bed--the bed is in the van. Wagner is quite an artist-his work is scattered about. Drawings and paintings of knots, abstract designs, oriental goldfish. The apartment feels uncomfortable to me--the feng shui is all wrong, for one thing, and it feels dingy and brown.
Here’s what I wrote in my notebook while sitting in Moth’s (Wagner’s) apartment:
can’t sit still--
yoga & jumping up and down
to Nirvana.
took 2 ephedra last night &
still feel them.
St. Louis outside
hot & muggy
sun bright seems
too clear for humid air.
these guys
cool and bored--air conditioner
on my legs--
I have a cough & sore throat
from being in cars & apt w/
smokers--
drink H2O eat orange
give Spider Monkey needle & floss
to patch his pants--
Bryan (Fabio) spots me for a headstand--
I don’t need him to but knowing he’s there makes me more steady--
I can’t imagine this--
I’m in “The South”--
and told Florida is a great place to winter out--
I feel myself bigger than I was but in what direction
I’m unsure--
I don’t know what this means or
that I need to know what it means.....
Even on ephedra we zone out towards sleep. I tug on Wag’s earlobes and scratch his scalp to keep him alert. I read every sign we pass out loud. Wagner teases me: “I made it past the third grade, Hunter!” But I notice he needs to concentrate to keep in our lane. I’d rather read all the signs and get teased than swerve off the road.
His apartment is in the St. Louis suburbs. It looks like any suburbs. It’s hot and muggy here. The cicadas make a high whirring click noise all day long, and even louder at night. I see fireflies for the first time, rising like orange sparks before they blink off. The plants and animals are unusual to me. None of the birds seem familiar.
Wag leaves to run errands. The rest of us stay at his place. It’s a small one-bedroom apartment with no bed--the bed is in the van. Wagner is quite an artist-his work is scattered about. Drawings and paintings of knots, abstract designs, oriental goldfish. The apartment feels uncomfortable to me--the feng shui is all wrong, for one thing, and it feels dingy and brown.
Here’s what I wrote in my notebook while sitting in Moth’s (Wagner’s) apartment:
can’t sit still--
yoga & jumping up and down
to Nirvana.
took 2 ephedra last night &
still feel them.
St. Louis outside
hot & muggy
sun bright seems
too clear for humid air.
these guys
cool and bored--air conditioner
on my legs--
I have a cough & sore throat
from being in cars & apt w/
smokers--
drink H2O eat orange
give Spider Monkey needle & floss
to patch his pants--
Bryan (Fabio) spots me for a headstand--
I don’t need him to but knowing he’s there makes me more steady--
I can’t imagine this--
I’m in “The South”--
and told Florida is a great place to winter out--
I feel myself bigger than I was but in what direction
I’m unsure--
I don’t know what this means or
that I need to know what it means.....