Meanwhile, outside the Colosseum, part 1
THE GRAMMAR GAMES PREQUEL
[A tavern, outside the Colosseum, Day 1]
(with apologies to Dave Grigger)
Somewhere in the unwashed masses milling around the Colosseum, workers are preparing the arena for the upcoming Grammar Games. A wannabe journalist accompanied by his film “crew” — a very smart Belgian Shepherd with an iPhone — conducts “man on the street” interviews, looking for reactions to what will take place behind the stadium walls later that day.
The reporter left the morning sun and entered a tavern located at the base of the Colosseum’s massive walls. Inside, a group of cynics, humorists, absurdist, anarchists, and other assorted deviants, lifted their metal steins and drank toasts to internet porn and koala bears. He asked the revelers their opinion on the upcoming Grammar Games, but no one cared as it was happy hour at some place in the world. As he turned to leave, a particularly happy drunk who called himself Dave, shouted out
what an honor it is to be included in this distinguished category!
and fell off his bar stool.
The bartender lifted him by the scruff of his toga and proceeded to throw him out of the establishment. Dave, who found the crowd just a bit much for his sensitive “nature” headed to the nearest shade.
As he shuffled through the dust, he mumbled to no one in particular…
sweaty dust…rust???
ahhh…last nites dream
LUST!
Then he rose up and shouted to the world…
droplets of joy drip from my chin
tongue gone asunder, i shall not tell where it’s been
lips to lips; though not face to face
her body quivers under sweet embrace
liquid pleasure an oasis in the sand
He heard the crowd cheer in the still empty stands and imagined himself reciting poetry at the feet of the Emperor…
“reality” comes creeping back in…ahhhh but perchance sleep
to dream yet once again…
With that, he fell unconscious in the street and was scooped up by a city construction truck headed to a construction site far off in the deadlands somewhere between the Medium empire and sister city Quorapolis.
A good place to dry out.
To be continued…
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