Smith and Braeburn

Setting: On the end of a tree branch in an apple orchard that is in southern California. Midday with a sunny clear sky. Modern Day.

Characters:

Apple 1: Smith

Apple 2: Braeburn

A dialogue between two apples:

Braeburn: Do you feel a moral responsibility for the fall of man?

Smith: No, why would I?          

Braeburn: 'Cuz we're apples

Smith: Ya but we got nothing to do with that. That was along ass time ago.

Braeburn: Still, our kind played a huge role in the matter I figured we have some responsibility.

Smith:          No, those apples were eaten fuckin ages ago. We weren't even a fucking thought. Besides no apple convinced those two dumb-shits to eat anything. It was all that serpent's fault.

Braeburn: You think it would have been different if apples weren't involved?

Smith:           You mean like if it were another fruit?

Braeburn:      Ya but what if it wasn't even fruit? What if it was something weird like a goat?

Smith:           Hahaha, a goat? Like some forbidden goat that can't be eaten? Can't even be pet?

Braeburn: Ya it's the goat of knowledge, haha. In order to obtain the knowledge though you have to have sex with the goat. You think they still would have done it?

Smith:           Hahaha, That's insane. I don't think they would.

Braeburn:      The serpent would have had to really step up his game.

Smith: Could you imagine that? Adam is walking through the garden where he encounters the goat of knowledge. Out of nowhere a snake shows up and is like "Hey bro, you should totally fuck that goat."

Braeburn:      You think Satan could convince him? What would it take?

Smith:          Dude it would take some fucking balls! I bet if that was the case there'd be a lot more people worshiping him, haha. "Ya I worship Satan, the dude that convinced God's first human to fuck a goat."

Braeburn:      Satan would be a total bad ass! It would make the whole bible a lot more interesting to go get into. Think about it, opening up the bible and on the first page and Boom! Bestiality! When you start off with bestiality bro, you are starting out with a fucking bang!

Smith:           Ha! Ya, literally. But the real question Braeburn is whether or not you'd fuck the goat.

Braeburn:     Haha, I couldn't even if I wanted to, I'm an apple.

Smith:          I mean if you were Adam and had a penis would you do it?

Braeburn:     Of course not!

Smith:          Yes you would! Come on! Really think about it. You can have all the knowledge in the world, the universe even and all you gotta do is one simple thing. Put your penis in the goat.

Braeburn:     Just once?

Smith:          For all the knowledge in the universe? Nah bro, you gotta finish in that bitch. I mean you gotta really be in there!

Braeburn:    Haha, this is so wrong,

Smith:         Ya but you would do it huh?

Braeburn:    Haha, No!

Smith:         Dude it’s only one goat and it would probably last what? A couple seconds? Just a couple of seconds of weird goat sex and you'd be completely omniscient.

Braeburn:   Dude, it’s goat sex.

Smith: Ok look, put yourself into Adam's position here. This dude has got supreme ignorance. We are talking about the very beginning of everything so Adam knows only what God has told him and that motherfucker hasn't said shit other than a bunch of stuff you can't do. He literally knows nothing. So you being Adam and dumb as fuck encounter this mystical off-limits goat and another mystical animal comes out of nowhere and tells you an amazing story. The story is of all the knowledge of knowing emotions and feelings and a deeper understanding of the self and the world. This gift is easily obtainable too because all you gotta do is for a couple of seconds have erotic and what might be actually quite enjoyable man on goat fornication. You would not do it?

Braeburn:    Haha, OK Smith, I might then.

Smith:         Ew! That's crazy.

Braeburn:     Would you?

Smith:           Fuck the goat!? Hell no! That's disgusting!

Braeburn:     Haha, you dick.

Smith:          Haha. Dude something kind of unrelated but not really, you hear 'bout Jesus?

Braeburn:     Oh ya I did. I heard he moved to Cali?

Smith:          Which doesn't make sense 'cuz I thought he said he was all 'bout that New York life?

Braeburn:     Ya well the dude was also s'pose to "come like a thief in the night..."

Smith:          Ya and bring about Armageddon...

Braeburn:      Instead the dude is partying with P-Diddy in LA.

Smith:           How did that even happen?

Braeburn:      Dude its P-Diddy, who doesn't wanna party with him?

Smith:           No the whole forsaking being the son of God stuff.

Braeburn:      I mean he'll always be the son of God. When he descended from heaven a little while back ago he did so in fucking New York City. The last thing the dude saw was the fucking deserts of Jerusalem and shit back in the day. Can you imagine going to modern day New York and seeing the difference? Haha, you think you would still bring about the end of everything? Fuck that!

Smith:           So his fateful 3rd coming ends up in him changing his mind?

Braeburn:     Well can you blame him? When this was all foretold originally people had nothing bro. There weren't toilets or T.V., negative numbers didn't even exist.

Smith:          Ya but shouldn't he have seen this stuff happening like while he was in heaven or something?

Braeburn:     Dude honestly, heaven sounds like a prison compared to Earth. Could you imagine being in a church environment twenty four seven for the rest of eternity?

Smith:         Haha, ya for reals. I'll take my chance in hell.

Braeburn:    Too bad apples don't go to hell.

Smith:         Do we go to heaven?

Braeburn:    You know what? I don't know. I mean I don't even think we can sin.

Smith:         Well if we worship Satan we can sin.

Braeburn:    But we're apples. Adam and Eve sinned and all mankind had to deal with that until Jesus came around.

Smith:         Ya so?

Braeburn:    Well we are not humans, we are no even a part of mankind. We can't sin because technically we never experienced original sin.

Smith:         Shit man, that's deep. But then even mankind is good right? Why is there even a need for an Armageddon if everyone's sins are covered? Isn't that why Jesus was crucified.

Braeburn:    No. Jesus was crucified because Adam and Eve's sin. Now that that is over with it is up to man to seek the kingdom of heaven.

Smith:         So he didn't die for our sins?

Braeburn:    No he did, but man still has to be repentant. It’s not the case that because Jesus died for them that they are guaranteed a place in heaven. There is still evil in the world so Jesus is still needed.

Smith:         So now what then? Jesus coming back was supposed to be the climactic culmination of it all. Does that mean Satan won?

Braeburn:    Satan didn't build the world, haha. He just filled it with evil and shit. Things aren't born evil they become it by our perceptions. If there was no God then good and evil would just be a manifestation of our society's idea of what is right and wrong. Instead our perceptions of good and evil lie within God's understanding. Anyways, man built everything within our societies. Good or evil it was us, not Satan and definitely not God. So technically if Jesus remains with man then technically man won.

Smith:         Well so far it seems like Jesus is choosing us over God. It’s what all the other apples talk about.

Braeburn:     I mean ya bro, porn and drugs! When I heard about that shit I nearly fell from the branch. Who would not want that shit?

Smith:   Haha, people who don't like porn and drugs.

Braeburn:    That's cool, they can go live in Utah and shit. You don't need religion to be tolerant, you just gotta be a decent person.

Smith:          Or a decent apple. So that's it then? Man won and God lost? Where do we fit in that mix?

Braeburn:    Well if God created man who created all of us then shit I guess he won a little bit too cuz that's pretty rad. But Satan didn't get destroyed so he kind of won too really. Really man created a situation where both God and Satan and man could win. Go man! As far as we go, we are completely insignificant. Eventually we will be picked and processed and then consumed being turned to energy to further fuel man and his exploits.

Smith:          And you are alright with this?

Braeburn:     I mean do we have a choice?

Smith:          Well if the son of God can turn away from his fate why can't we?

Braeburn:     Haha, 'cuz Smith, we are apples. We literally exist to feed man.

Smith:          Seems to me that the world would benefit in a better existence if there were no God. If we were just here by chance and not just for the consumption of humans at the will of an almighty God, we could have a much better meaning to live for. For us. For them and for us.

Braeburn:     Well we could be fucking goats right now.

Smith:          You maybe, Haha.

Braeburn:     Still though, we would only be apples.

Smith:          We would be free. We would exist for ourselves and not anyone else. That is the truest happiness.  

Braeburn:     Sounds arrogant.

Smith:          So be it.

One night at the beach

I couldn't remember the last time I felt so at peace, so relaxed. For some reason though, all my melancholy, all of the depression disappeared. I stood for some time simply standing with arms crossed and watched the waves hit the beach. So relaxed was I, I didn't even react to the cold bitterness of the wind gently brushing against me. I was entranced by the moons reflection being cast by the water behind the crashing waves. One after another the waves broke white and curled forward towards the cold damp sand. Like an army ready to go to battle the waves built up higher and higher finally breaking and releasing their energy against the bank without mercy. Slowly the sound died away but instantly after another wave proceeded. The lights in the background were randomly scattered blobs of faded white orange and red. The horizon was lost in the foreground as the blobs danced with the flickering lights of the houses on the distant hillsides; the black canvas that was the sky became a perfect resting ground for their cosmic rhythm. My eyes followed their motions, completely in sync with the music of the waves rising and falling. I had never felt such a oneness with the universe, with myself.

Sad realization.

At a wedding for a close friend the minister had spoken very striking words, "...and all that we really yearn for is to be understood." Being understood is a great desire held by many but even greater is the understanding itself. To what degree is this true? The idea to seek understanding is human and is reflected in our many unanswerable philosophical quandaries. In truth nothing can truly be answered because a true understanding of anything is impossible.

Man is desperate to understand his world and the universe in which his world belongs. Such a shame he will never achieve it.

The Coronado Hotel

Charlene ran the front desk of the hotel, Doug was the groundsman and only maintenance personnel. The siblings grew up around the hotel so they knew its nooks and crannies like they knew themselves. Charlene had frizzy brown hair with curls and volume to show, light brown skin and hazelnut eyes. She wore tacky sweaters usually with cats or some kind of cute animal sewn into the fabric, her pants were slacks and she usually wore sandals with her socks pulled up high. Doug could normally be found in plain Ts and had ample downtime and usually spent it locked away in his room smoking pot. His hair was short but unkempt and usually his clothes were worn past their usefulness.

The Coronado hotel lied in a small desert town with maybe twenty thousand residents but received a high volume of passersby. Over the past seventy years that the business stood nothing of the decor had ever changed. The white stucco walls were always white as well as the red painted wood trim that had always been red. A very earthy tone of shingle was used to cover the roof and bent upwards into arch ways at every third room. To contrast the earthy browns many green agave and yuccas were planted alongside numerous pygmy palms and desert sages. The whole view was very successfully southwestern. A well taken carpet had lasted the hotel for decades and only held minor stains and offsets. The walls were the same as they were well taken care of and only required repainting every couple of years and always the same shade of off white. White sheets and pillow cases was basic but the comforter usually was of earthy tone colors to match the southwestern feel and smelled of the pomegranate scented soap that had been used on them longer than the two siblings had been alive. The Coronado hotel lied only four blocks south of the main highway along fourth and sat across the street from the only library in town.

People came and they went, never staying for too long but never leaving without setting in impression. Behind her desk Charlene met all kinds of faces but no matter the appearance they were all the same in some sense. The businessman who had to make a stop on his way to the big city , the young couple on a weekend get away, the young mother fleeing from her family and the young man looking for his. There were those who remained silent through their check in process while others were loud mouthed an had an opinion for everything. Everyone was different yet they all shared the temporariness of their existence in the sibling's life. They like the hotel knew only cold ephemeral relationships based of the insistence that the other must move on to their true destination. None of the passerby knew permanence, the very knowledge would destroy their very being. No, permanence was a concept that only the Coronado hotel and staff could conceive.

Even as a young girl of 8 or 9 Charlene had worked the front desk helping her mother and learning the tips and tricks of the industry. How to set the keys and run the cards and how to manipulate the customer. Oh a man with a suit? Tell him no economy rooms! All one hundred and one rooms were nearly similar but the economy were facing the alley way and was never a top choice for the would be inhabitants. Doug had also too always had a hand in the caring of the business though he always chose to maintain his distance. Since the start of the hotel day to day operations were overseen by family. With the passing of the parents the only people left to continue the Coronado's existence were the bickering siblings.

Truthfully the two were oblivious as to why they were there and in reality they never had a choice. Being born into proprietorship is a difficult fate when the prospects are mediocre. To its creator the Coronado Hotel stood as a sign of creation. The buildings stood as a monument to mans ability to make something from nothing, to create a source of income where once none existed. When the hotel found its stride there was no way that the progress could be halted and given up. After some time the Coronado began to change. The business took on a life of its own and the care takers simply existed to maintain the flow of operations. Nothing became more important to the small family then maintaining the day to day tasks to keep the money coming in. As a result of its success the two siblings were forced to grow with the business' infrastructure so much so that all the knew built around them and set their paths in stone. How could they leave a world literally created for them to exist in?

Charlene had never cared to carry on a conversation for too long with any passerby. Usually the conversations were painfully monotonous.

"Welcome to the Coronado hotel."

"Thanks, I'm here to check into my room."

Ok, do you have a reservation?"

"Yes."

"Ok perfect let me find you in our computer. Here you are, Just sign here."

"Right here?"

"Yes and I will need a credit card."

"Oh for what?"

"It's just a pending hold for a safety deposit. When you check out and the room is not destroyed we will remove it."

"Oh ok that's fine."

"Thank you let me run that real quick. Perfect! And here is your key. Your room is just outside across from the pool."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for choosing the Coronado hotel." The conversations were always basic. Every once in a while an excited customer would mention where they were going and why they had to stop but not much changed from person to person. It did not matter anyways because Charlene did not care to hear it..

Doug never spoke to the customers and always kept to himself due to his constant high and false paranoia that he wold be found out. Though he tried hard to keep his drug use private some occasions had caused him to blow his cover. One most memorable one was the result of over thirty hits of Acid. Whether he knew he was being watched or not Doug stripped to his boxers and climbed to the shingled roof so that the gods could more clearly see his rain dance. Charlene came out to see him in his foolishness.

"Doug! What are you doing? Get down!"

"Charlene, she blesses us with her presence. Your honor." He gave a majestic bow. "Now to make it rain!" Doug began dancing harder with no specifically choreographed moves.

"Doug seriously! Do you even know where you are right now?"

"Of course! Its the mother fucking Coronado hotel! The place were dreams come true!"

Two fire trucks and a handful of police officers could not get him down. Doug had to leap from the roof and into the pool where he could finally be apprehended. To the benefit of the business Charlene lied and said he was just some random customer and needed to be removed. Charlene would never forgive her brother and Doug could never shake the embarrassment of his actions and how they affected his sister. In the end though when it really came down to it he did not care.

Soon after Doug's episode and the event had made the papers a customer walked in. "Is this the mother fucking Coronado hotel?" Then a smirk.

Charlene did not offer one in return and instead gave a bitter grimace. "Yes, but I do not appreciate the language."

"Hey I'm just quoting the newspaper article. I thought to myself I gotta see this mother fucking Coronado hotel. Drove all the way from phoenix to see it. Is it true, Do all your dreams come true?"

"I am not amused sir. Do you want a room or not?"

"I do but first tell me, what is your dream?"

Charlene did not answer. Really she did not even know how to answer such a question and that realization angered her. "I am not into fraternizing. Please, I will need a credit card."

"So do you not have a dream, is that it?"

Charlene refused to answer. "You are being difficult sir."

"I don't think you have a dream. Tell me are you happy here?"

She eyed the man who was asking such striking questions. Never had he seen him before and he was obviously not from the town. "I have plenty of dreams."

"Oh plenty huh? Tell me just one."

Charlene was stumped. "I dream that you would just leave."

"Oooh, ouch! But it is only a defensive mechanism to mask your lack of aspirations."

The man was right. Charlene knew it and now she could not refuse it. How insignificant she felt as she stared towards the outside and saw the passerby. All these people continually moving on from their temporary home and Charlene had never question an alternative life. How could she when the hotel was her life? There was no one else to care for it, no one else to man the front desk. Though it was striking to see a new perspective she knew that nothing could be done. The beast that had taken its life had to be maintained and there was no one else to make sure it all got done.

Charlene stepped outside and looked upon her property while keeping fresh the new reality. Everything would be the same when she returned to her desk and there would be no change for her. She would have to stay the same only now she held a deep resentment for the hotel. Charlene wished she had never met the man who implanted the realization of her lonely existence and that she could no longer ignore it tore her apart. But Charlene must remain behind her desk just as the passersby must move on along with time.

Wind of Lilith

Can wind be caught
handled and tamed
and be made to stop
where hands have laid claim

It reaches all skies
gives depth to all land
reaches into time
and pulls from it sand

yet the wise men seek
to control your gale
and prove their naive
and utterly fail

but they do not yield
for to catch the wind
is a fate to steal
and love to ascend

and maybe one time
you'll stop and you'll blow
and be only mine
but always you go

the ebb and flow stops
your torrents do cease 
and the stale air drops
without any peace

I wonder what is
and what it will be
that moment you freeze
and blow within me

would you feel my breath
as you move and stream
the air that you give
the soul that you free

or am i one more
a wise man to show
wind cant be stored 
in a heart that knows

it has to be free
but i will sure breathe
and hold you in me
for as long as i can
because of the love
that lies in this hand