Thursday, October 16, 2008

three's a crowd

[it seems I missed the third anniversary of this blog - sometimes its hard to believe that I’m still finding things to say that people actually want to read - I’ve got a few bits ready to go that are just lacking a picture, but in the meantime three observations from recent days]


Royal Road, relatively innocent at any other time, suddenly shifts pitch to a threatening tone.  A man runs round the corner, thin arms gangly triangles at his sides.  Fumbles mobile to his ear, doesn’t speak, only breathes.  He looks at us.  We look at him.  Try to communicate that we have seen him but would be willing to forget him too if he prefers.  A hasty diagonal takes him across the road where he joins a gender vague friend on a corner wall.  Without greeting or goodbye the friend stands and walks away.  And a few yards further along three men get into a topless car the colour of long stewed tea.  All events apparently unrelated but feeling somehow significant, somehow weighty with the flavour of danger.

- - - - - 

Our old knives have marks bitten deep into their plastic handles, paler blue breaking through.  Like they’ve been fighting in the dark, chewing at each other with serrated silver teeth.  Their knife nature unstoppable even when the kitchen drawer is closed.

- - - - - 

A crow chases a bread crust down a roof.  It bounces tile to tile and he follows.  Black after white across the red.  Like a strangely slanted game of chess.

7 comments:

polona said...

well, congrats - three years is quite a milestone. i'm getting a bit weary of blogging after a good two an a half years but don't think i'll quit, i might just reduce posting for the time being...

anyway, these are again great observations... the street seems to have a life of its own at times and you have captured it well. love the knife image, and i can see the drow chasing that bread crust :)

Unknown said...

Congratulations!! Love the idea of the secret life of knives in the drawer......... and the roof chess is such a great image.

Shelley said...

I loves me some gender vague friends.

And I am pleasantly surprised by the sweet satisfaction you continuously trickle into my life with these lovingly crafted words of yours.

Don't know why I'm still surprised. Perhaps it is the strength of the gratitude that is suprising.

FWIW, I hope to be sharing photographic evidence of an unusual haircut on my blog soon. Stay tuned.

virtualjourney said...

Congrats - have been enjoying Sound of Splinters in passing and just dipped in here. I've lost the date I started blogging in the mists of blog clear outs. Probably best not to look back...

Clare Dudman said...

Congratulations! Must have been something about 2005 that sent us all into the blogosphere.

I agree with Spot - I love the idea of those knives continuing with their knife-lives even when they are hidden from view.

jo :: feather and thread said...

happy blogoversary to you! may you have many more years of chess playing crows and bitten knives and uneasy roads...x

Anonymous said...

wow 3 years. Blogging tends to be on the decrease lately. It's up to blogs like this one that it should keep going. It's nice to have something inventive to read now and again not just facebook updates.