Уильям Берроуз - Nova Express

"Nobody can kick an SOS habit, kid-All the screams from The Pain Bank-from The Beginning you understand exploded deep in the tortured metal."

Junk poured through my screaming flesh-I got up and danced The Junky Jig-I had my spoons-That's all I need-Into his spine falling some really great shit lately ("Shoot your way to peat bog") The cold heavy fluid settled-hydraulic beginning you understand- Exploded time stops in blue metal-Surburban galaxies on the nod- blue silence in the turnstile-village of slate houses-This foreign sun in bottles-

Martin came to Blue junction in a heavy blue twilight where time stops-Slow hydraulic driver got out and moved away-Place of The Silent People-The Foreman showed him to The Bunk House-The men sat in blocks of cool blue silence at a long table and laid out photos in silent language of juxtaposition projecting the work-playing poker for position and advantage-

The work was hard and silent-There were irrigation canals and fish ponds with elaborate hydraulic locks and motors-The windmills and weather maps- (The Proprietor took photos of sky clouds and mountains every day moving arranging his weather maps in a vast flicker cylinder that turned with the wind on roof of The Main Building-Picture panels on walls of The Bunk House and Day Room changed with weather sky and mountain shadows in a silent blue twilight- The men took photos of each other and mixed picture composites shifting combos to wind and water sounds and frogs from the fish pools-(green pastures crisscrossed with black water and springs overhung with grass where Martin fished in the evening with Bradly who slept in the bunk next to his or in his bunk back and forth changing bodies in the blue silence-Tasks shifted with poker play and flesh trade-)

Blue-Flicker along the fish ponds-Blue shadows twilight-street frogs and crickets-(crisscrossed my face)

The knife fell-The Clerk in the bunk next to his bled blue silence-Put on a clean shirt and Martin's pants-telling stories and exchanging smiles-dusty motors-The crop and fish talk muttering American dawn words-Sad rooming house-Picture wan light on suburban ponds and brown hair-Grey photo pools and springs over brass bed-Stale morning streets- sifting clouds and sky on my face-crisscrossed with city houses-

"Empty picture of a haunted ruin?" He lifted his hands sadly turned them out. "Some boy just wrote last good-bye across the sky. All the dream people of past time are saying good-bye forever, Mister" Late afternoon shadows against his back magic of all movies in remembered kid standing there face luminous by the attic window in a lost street of brick chimneys exploded star between us. You can look back along the slate shore to a white shirt flapping gunsmoke.

Short Count

The Heavy Metal Kid returned from a short blue holiday on Uranus and brought suit against practically everybody in The Biologic Courts-

"They are giving me a short count," he said in an interview with your reporter-"And I won't stand still for it-" Fade out

Corridors and patios and porticos of The Biologic Courts-Swarming with terminal life forms desperately seeking extension of canceled permissos and residence certificates-Brokers, fixers, runners, debarred lawyers, all claiming family connection with court officials — Professional half-brothers and second cousins twice removed — Petitioners and plaintiffs screaming through the halls — Holding up insect claws, animal and bird parts, all manner of diseases and deformities received “In the service” of distant fingers — Shrieking for compensations and attempting to corrupt or influence the judges in a thousand languages living and dead, in color flash and nerve talk, catatonic dances and pantomimes illustrating their horrible conditions which many have tattooed on their flesh to the bone and silently picket the audience chamber — Others carry photo-collage banners and TV screens flickering their claims — Willy’s attorneys served the necessary low pressure processes and The Controllers were sucked into the audience chamber for the The First Hearing — Green People in limestone calm — Remote green contempt for all feelings and proclivities of the animal host they had invaded with inexorable moves of Time-Virus-Birth-Death — With their diseases and orgasm drugs and their sexless parasite life forms — Heavy Metal People of Uranus wrapped in cool blue mist of vaporized bank notes — And The Insect People of Minraud with metal music — Cold insect brains like white hot buzz saws sharpened in the Ovens — The judge, many light years away from possibility of corruption, grey and calm with inflexible authority reads the brief — He appears sometimes as a slim young man in short sleeves then middle-aged and slim young man in short sleeves then middle-aged and red-faced sometimes very old like yellow ivory “My God what a mess” — he said at last — “Quiet all of you — You all understand I hope what is meant by biologic mediation — This means that the mediating life forms must simultaneously lay aside all defenses and all weapons — it comes to the same thing — and all connection with retrospective controllers under space conditions merge into a single being which may or may not be successful — " He glanced at the brief-"It would seem that The Uranians represented by the plaintiff Uranian Willy and The Green People represented by Ali Juan Chapultepec are prepared to mediate-Will these two uh personalities please stand forward- Bueno-I expect that both of you would hesitate if you could see-Fortunately you have not been uh overbriefed-You must of course surrender all your weapons and we will proceed with whatever remains-Guards-Take them to the disinfection chambers and then to The Biologic Laboratories"-He turned to The Controllers-"I hope they have been well prepared-I don't need to tell you that Of course this is only The First Hearing-The results of mediation will be reviewed by a higher court-"

Their horrible condition from a short blue holiday on Uranus-Post everybody in The Biologic Courts: Willy's attorney served "Count."-He said in an interview pushing through and still for it-Fade out-Chambers- Green People-remote green contempt forms fixers and runners all claiming the animal hosts they had-(The Court Of Professional Brothers and Moves Of Vegetable Centuries)-The petitioners and plaintiffs their green sexless life screaming through the halls remote mineral calm received-in slate blue houses and catatonic dances illustrating The Heavy Metal Kid returned-Many have tattooed in diseases and brought suit against The Audience Chambers-"

They are giving me a short necessary process"-Screaming crowds entered the corridors the audience and the patios-The feeling and proclivities of connection with officials invaded with inexorable limestone and cousins twice removed-Virus and drugs plaintiff and defendant-Heavy Metal People Of Uranus in a thousand languages live robes that grow on them blue and hideous diseases-The little high-fi junk note shrieking for compensation-Spine frozen on the nod color flashes the heavy blue mist of bank notes-The petitioners and plaintiffs screaming through the halls wrapped in: "My God what a mess"-Holding up insect claws remote with all understand I hope what service-He appeared sometimes as whatever remains-All understand I hope what proclivities of the animal means that the mediating lie inexorable moves of Time-

Twilight's Last Gleaming

The Gods of Time-Money-Junk gather in a heavy blue twilight drifting over bank floors to buy con force an extension of their canceled permits-They stand before The Man at The Typewriter-Calm and grey with inflexible authority he presents The Writ:

"Say only this should have been obvious from Her Fourth Grade Junk Class-Say only The Angel Profound Lord Of Death-Say I have canceled your permissos through Time-Money-Junk of the earth-Not knowing what is and is not knowing I knew not . All your junk out in apomorphine-All your time and money out in word dust drifting smoke streets-Dream street of body dissolves in light. "