The Bio-Mechanics of Loneliness
A caged parrot is in one room, a microwave oven in another.
The microwave emits a beep every thirty seconds...
alerting the fact that it still holds a cup of reheated coffee.
The parrot mimics each beep in turn, a forlorn whistle to a distant stranger.
Two-second expressions of loneliness and abandonment...
Like bio-mechanical clockwork.
Something was left here... it's getting cold.
---------
The composer
Ken Clinger wrote a song based upon this vignette
of mine about the parrot mimicing the microwave. Here are the
lyrics that Ken came up with:
deep beneath the feathers, dwells a consciousness intact
memories of amazon, the jungle world of past
dwelling in this northern clime, a solitary life
a solitary parrot, lonely quiet for its plight
humans come and humans go, but they make no impression
daydreams in the silence, as time makes its own progression
but something in the here and now, is calling for attention
another room, a microwave, demanding intervention
(beep beep) i'm signaling
(beep beep) is any-one there
(beep beep) i'm waiting waiting
(beep beep) does any-one care
(beep beep) i've done my duty
(beep beep) i've made it hot
(beep beep) the time's increasing
(beep beep) the heat is not
what is that motion, deep in the parrot musing
something touching time and
what is that calling, beyond the jungle daydream,
signals hinting meaning
an urgent message, something has been forgotten
something losing heat and
i feel connected, i feel a newborn kinship
calling, begging for re-sponse
microwave with parroting, a consciousness intact
looping forward endlessly, a symbiotic pact
combined they trigger something, unexpected ringing true
it starts to gain momentum, with the power to renew
re-verberating outward, waves vibrating form a core
flowing out into a world, not knowing what's in store
[Here's a
link to an mp3 of Ken's recording.]
