Thursday, November 07, 2013

Whilst home to take my driving test and reading Mark Twain



I had been reading Mark Twain prior to taking my driving test, in which I passed, an occasion marked by the consumption of margaritas and like MT is impressive for all kinds of reasons, not least of which is the fact that it was a dreary day to be driving in the suburbs, but not so dreary to be reading Mr Twain. Nevertheless, I pull Barry Hannah off the shelf and uncover this pearl referencing the Twainster in his fabulous Boomerang:

"Top off the convertible and we're doing just twenty in an old forgotten place where the poplars are hanging over and we go into a tunnel of sudden shade, lost to the world, no horns no sirens no red light. Both of us hungry for a bite and only half a Pepsi left. Out of cigarettes, no stimulants at all. At the end of the tunnel is a decayed barn, faded red and very picturesque. Just for the hell of it and for old mark Twain and whitman and the boys who said themselves so well, I burn up a five dollar bill, while she sucks my person. This is the sort of squalor that Rev wildmon deplores. He is hot on the trail of such scenes as this. Never will it be allowed in our domain, he says, tossing another book into the fire like my last wife liked to do. She'd throw away anything that didn't go with the wallpaper. wildmon is another homegrown idiot from the state of Mississippi. Now he's gone totally nuts as most preachers with a political cause do. He has attacked Mighty Mouse for sniffing cocaine to get his strength. The cartoon Mighty Mouse was a loser anyway like a flying Jimmy Bakker. He just glanced around. My wife beckons me back with her arms to our bed after all these nights away from her. I blame myself for being an artist and how awful it must be to miss me."  





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