STILL LIVING WITH (burp) GENIUS

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by jim holt

The genius ideas in my head are buried under discarded socks and neglected pizza boxes it seems. i can get to them if i work hard, wading through the minutia that clings to me.

I need a housecleaning in my head.

Don’t get me wrong. I love how I think. I’ve kept myself very amused in times of isolation, stress and stark truth. A lot of times, i make myself laugh.

One day, I’m going to enter my mind and it will be like entering one of those minimalist Japanese rooms….. i pull back a sliding door and the sunshine over my shoulder lights up the room inside, a vast shiny hardwood floor … that’s it. maybe a table, maybe a vase, a single orchid.

Once inside my uncluttered mind, i can wrestle each of these clearly defined and genius ideas to the floor (Judo style) as they enter.

Yep.

Just me and the genius idea rolling around the shiny mahogany floor. One of us will win. But, because I’ve read THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS written by undefeated 17th century samurai warrior, Miyamoto Musashi, i will be resigned to the fact that death is the only resolution to our battle.

I will lift the carcass of that genius idea over my head, strut around the room …. ready to tackle the next genius idea that bursts through the wall wielding a sword. I’ll wrestle that idea to the ground as well.

Of course, then I’ll be hungry and tired … perhaps I’ll order a pizza, take off my socks, put on some Junior Walker & The All-Stars and dance around the stark minimalist room to the sultry soulful sax sounds of WHAT DOES IT TAKE?, leaving sweaty foot prints on the wood, dropping the odd olive off my pizza slice, welcoming dusty friends who discard their goggles and masks, who ditch their coats and hug me, then dance with me on whatever floor space is left, knocking over pints of Guinness if we’re reckless and even water bottles if we’re not paying attention perhaps …

then i wake up, on a small pile of clothes, the maps of people’s creative plan pinned to my wall, smelling like Vanilla somehow ….

now, where did i put that genius idea?

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Filed under BOOKS, CULTURE, HUMOR