Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black: Collected Stories

by Cookie Mueller

Artists will have myriad mediums and art will be like a cross between mind-bending science projects and soothing cocoons to wrap up in. Comedians and entertainers will be treated like royalty because the heavy intellectual atmosphere will need some leavening. The concept of God won't be just a concept. Seen optimistically, the future looks pretty good.

The host of the party looked sad. He was sitting in the corner on the gray wall-to-wall industrial carpeting watching his shimmering, gilded, celebrated guests with his sloe eyes full of apathy and his oft-kissed lips frozen into a disingenuous smile.

There are things that are too profound to commit to words on paper.

Vittorio has learned that like a flood of sunlight, hope can vanquish gloom. Things are never so bleak and threatening as we believe.

Okay, suppose these cuts go into effect. Obviously the poor would be even poorer. In fact, they would be starving, a lot more than they are already. There would be no way for them to find a place to live, no way to find food or work. And where would young people who really wanted an education possibly find one they could afford with no government help? The answer is obvious. They'd have no choice but to enter the army. There they have a roof, meals, education. There is no other option for them. So tricky Ron, by making these budget cuts is really strengthening the militia. There'll be lots more people in the army, which is exactly what he wants. I don't know why he is so paranoid.

So in the end, we have a total military and police government, all because of these budget cuts, I warned you. Really, Ron has gone off the deep end this time with these budget cuts. It's all about the spirit of the cockroach: the great work ethic smashing ideas, creativity and intellectualism. The core of the problem here, as I see it, is Ron's imagined superiority. He truly believes he is the smartest man in the world and everybody else is dumb—your basic uncultured, hillbilly attitude.

All we really need is bread, water, love, and work that we enjoy and are good at, and an undying faith in and love of ourselves, our freedom, and our dignity. All that stuff is practically free, so how come it's so hard to get—and how come all these assholes and “professionals,” friends and foes, family and complete strangers are always trying to convince us to follow their dumb rules, give up work in order to be a client of theirs, give up our freedom and dignity to increase their power and control?

I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW that somewhere there is paradise and although I think it's really far away, I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW I'm gonna get there, and when I do, you're gonna be one of the first people I'll send a postcard to with complete description of, and map for locating … Courage, bread, and roses, Gordon