Wise King Taken by the Foolish One essay no. 6 Ecstatic Writing - or Being - which, being less than infinitely prolonged, must ultimately die down to a single glowing ember, which can't help but... wink out. (Winking being the thing to do.) Dan Plonsey October, 2001 Keywords: maple syrup, potential next world, green and white scarf (scarves). Go to: Wise King essays, home page, or one of the Wise King essays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, or Plonsey's "Kingdoms Diptych" home page, or Dan Plonsey home page.

Ecstatic Writing - or Being - which, being less than infinitely prolonged, must ultimately die down to a single glowing ember, which can't help but... wink out. (Winking being the thing to do.)

The Wise King stretched his lunch hour to ninety microns, doing some desultory moose-like poody-poo book shopping. He shaved scissorously every other morning, that being all he had in him to do, presumably, allowing his razor to wear down as it would. "Presumably," he told himself, "many such men shave every morning, as once upon a time I did as well, not giving it a second thought, that, however, was when my razor, was by contrast, electric."

By contrast, the Foolish One sported a beard. His lusts were well-known and long-standing even to himself, being insatiable, and therefore, naturally, inasmuch as he was attracted to people who were by nature unattainable, invariably, these people, who, as they didn't care who they were with as long as not with him, were well-designed to be controlling of those with whom they did find themselves, although they hated themselves for their own lack of discernment, beyond of course being able to discern that they were not with him, the Foolish One, and they hated themselves even more for their lack of will power, and for what they termed, "all dem commaz." Their voices thus betrayed them as New Yorkers, and as sad, and they rejected the Foolish One not for foolishness per se, but only because they knew enough to reject a certain proportion of their suitors, and the Foolish One was very unlucky around random numbers.

Meanwhile, the Wise King went for a walk, buttoned his coat to the elements to the neck button, donned a dark red beret, and bent into, or out of, the strong winds which whipped the brittle brown autumn leaves. One hand moved from within his warm pocket to clamp the beret to the head of him, the other went a-squirming into a different pocket: they were taking turns nicely. Perhaps he wore a simple scarf, very long, very wool, in alternating stripes of cream and lichen-green color which could have gone on forever, and which did, in fact, make a long long scarf, it being hard to stop once you get started. Wool enough to keep the cold out of that which it enwrapped while he, the Wise King, patiently awaited the inevitable, penultimate crisis which would precede his utter abandonment by the world, and all things therein, by which we are talking about the time and all aspects of his death, what it would be like.

Sexiness is only applicable in the first, longest, part of life, as is financial acumen, as is aggressiveness, as is courage, as are all the physical abilities and liabilities, as most likely is any sort of mental preparation, as are all forms of readiness, knowledge, and wisdom. Because in the latter part of life, which maybe only lasts one second, there is there: the final occasion, in which all these attributes and accomplishments and attitudes drop away, and one proceeds on with it, without any of them, into the next world, or into nothing at all, whichever it is; and with nothing but pure potential... and maybe a little maple syrup.

-- Dan Plonsey, October 2001, El Cerrito, California Go to: Wise King essays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, or Plonsey's "Kingdoms Diptych" home page, or Dan Plonsey home page.