When We Was Strange Birds - An E-Mail Opera in 6 Acts.
Amsterdam, Dekemember 5th. 2008
Conceived from an e-mail correspondence between Bobbi Lurie and A. Andreas.
Originally published in Theory & Wryting summer 2008
Enacted for a live audience with Judith V. as Bobbi Lurie during the first Klebnikov Carnaval in Leuven, Belgium 2008.
Dialogon:
A. Andreas (NL) as AA &
Bobbi Lurie (US) as BL
Amsterdam NL, New Mexico US - 2008
Act I:
It was then when you nursed me
King:
It was then when you nursed me
when we lived in the woods
when we was kings and you was queens
It was then when I was my fatherbrothermother
and you was my motherfathersister
It was then when we lived tommorrow
When we died in the woods
It was then when our city escaped to trees
When the ashes were our home
When the fires glued our lights
It was then when our eyes were blind
Our touches thumb
Our tongues speechless
It was then when I was you
When you enslaved my fathermother
And I sold my brothersister
It was then when we lived
The trees an-eyed
Anhillated by our senses
I escaped you then when you were me
AA: June 16, 2008 7:19:11 PM GMT+02:00:
Queen:
you escaped me when i was you
so it's true: Angela knew
we were reading Jukka's code
it said:
A e
A e e
you thought:
Amsterdam of course
and i: albuquerque
you
were senseless
in your senses
the tree
couldn't
see
it was you who
enslaved your motherfather
for you were i
the sale
of brothersister
inconsequential
speechless
sucking thumbs
unseeing eyes
i'm glad you said
i nursed you
i thought i made you worse
the woods
were
wild
we only
pretended
to be kings and queens
and saw
it didn't
matter
believing
made it
so
death
in
the future we said
to-
mor-
row
we
died in the
city
escaping
to
trees
can you believe i came to
albuquerque not
amsterdam
i
escaped you too
when you were me
B.L. 6/08
BL: June 17, 2008 7:11:13 PM GMT+02:00
Act II:
When we was strange birds
A Bird:
When we was strange birds
We robbed your nest
You drinked our tears
It was then when we was eyes
When we was walking
You turned your backs
We watched your steps
It was then when we was ears
tbc ...
AA: June 12, 2008 7:16:48 PM GMT+02:00
Women in House of Books:
yes my favorite thing
you
ever said
i did
not
hear
thank
you
for
helping me
get rid of
my trash
shoes
which don't
fit
dresses
i never
wear
who
was the "we"
that you see or saw
as for me
i have one back
subtract it from
the
ears
we had
hard
not to
hear
so
i read
your words
yes
it's true
birds are words
my house
filled with birds
filled with books
look:
i've piled up so many books
to give away
tell me
who was
the "we"
that walked
with
you
did they
talk about my steps
or not
bL
BL: June 12, 2008 8:23:12 PM GMT+02:00
Act III:
In which a stranger is introduced
A Stranger:
We was stranger than birds
when we robbed your nest and you drank our tears
It was us before our eyes saw
who was walking behind your back watching our steps
It was us before our ears hear your speechless words
tbc ...
AA: June 12, 2008 9:10:37 PM GMT+02:00
Stuttering Woman:
birds are not strange
birds range from hummingbirds to vultures
i drank your tears because you took my nest
the rest i'd rather not speak about
and why were you crying
the owner of the eye can never see it
with a we there is division
with an i there isn't
many watchers in this world
tbc...
BL: June 19, 2008 12:50:59 AM GMT+02:00
Act IV:
(for MANIK)
A Stranger:
IT was a stranger and a bird
WHO robbed your nest and drank our tears
It was before the ice
was walking behind your black steps
IT was before words run into speech
tbc ...
AA: June 12, 2008 9:27:17 PM GMT+02:00
Stuttering Woman:
yes
a bird isn't
strange
a
stranger is
strange
birds with blurbs
have
words
their
calligraphy
appears
in
the
sky
you accuse
and yet
refuse
to consider
the
wind
yes
my steps
are black
how did
you
know that
mijn woorden
komen nooit
komen nooit toespraak tegen
omdat ik stotter
bobbi lurie
BL: June 19, 2008 1:00:15 AM GMT+02:00
Act V:
YU
Blind:
We was you
Who blinded our sight
We was you
And took y'ur eyes
We was yu
And cried our tears
We are yu
After all
Who was yu
Queen or King
Who was yu
Serf or slave
AA June 2008
AA: June 19, 2008 7:29:30 PM GMT+02:00
Venice, California:
if you was i
it's my tears
you cried
you were me
so
blinded sight
done
by
you
the eyes
you took
were your own
you
never
phone
thinking
you
are me
talking
to self
in venice california
i was
surf and slave
king and queen
in
present
state
i
am
nothing
b.
BL: June 19, 2008 7:49:05 PM GMT+02:00
Act VI:
Mogadishu
Ibrahem:
If it was not me
who was you.
It was us
who was them.
In Mogadishu
Eve & Ibrahem
sleight their sons
for us to rise again.
It was for you
they sang their song.
AA: June 19, 2008 10:27:00 PM GMT+02:00
Eve:
yes it was
us who was them
regarding mogadishu
i have never been to africa
have
you?
as far as
biblical texts
i can't accept
the resurrection
if eve was with
abraham
instead of with
adam
perhaps we'd be in
the garden
still
devoid
of
words
BL: June 19, 2008 7:49:05 PM GMT+02:00