I. 
(tell me) 
tell you what? 
the story of a life gone dry ? 
a meaning gone stale? a patchwork forever? 
( relax. tell me. ) 
where shall i begin ? 
(begin.) 
in the beginning, 
begging, 
was the word. 
(begin.) 
in the beginning there was no-- 
one in sunlight, blue on black, 
grey mist-cloud crystal eyes 
cat-cradled in mach winds. 
begin with youth ? 
garbled stinking truths 
half-glimpsed through liquid fire, 
balanced on columns of confusion ?  
( back now. begin. ) 
begin ? 
from where ? 
where a frozen red mist 
shrouds fractured eyes, 
mud-flung windrags of hair and bone 
and a brazen god's screams ? 
in the beginning was the world-not-word -- 
wandering, demented, 
reaction as reason, philosophical pretense, 
squiggles on paper made without sense. 
(stop. breathe.) 
(slowly.) 
(carefully.) 
begin on fade 
two -- 

II. 
( retrospect) 
how does it go? 
in the beginning... 
no such thing ! 
stately slapstick, masque of clowns : 
harlequin colors cringing from the curtain, 
an elaborate farce concocted by fools. 

in the beginning 
which was no beginning... 
magicians sunk in contrapuntal nonsense 
scream obscenity, resonate insanity, 
pulse pretentious impromptu hysterics, 
play by numbers to the silence of walls. 

how does it go ? 
( lie to me again.) 
in the beginning, where beginnings end 
in the chaos of past and tomorrow, 
meaninglessness squabbles with itself 
for a nesting site on the cliff.