screw the original key

consumption.

tuberculosis.

scarlet fever.

influenza.

pneumonia.

AIDS.

and other complications involving the lungs.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

can't breathe.

cough.

wheeze.

cough.

whistle.

cough.

rattle.

---------------------------------------------

the itchy grey sweater your lungs are forced to wear on picture day.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

of all of the lungy-damaged terms--

i think i like consumption best.

CONSUMPTION.

=============================================

(though i do have a nagging penchant/dark horse vote for scarlet fever.)
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

well.

"miss" scarlet fever that is.

"miss" scarlet fever in the billiard room with the lead pipe.

and prissy helping her dispose of melanie's body.

"miss scarlet! miss scarlet! i don't know nothin' 'bout buryin' no melanie's! miss scarlet! i don't know nothin' 'bout--"

the inevitable slap.

WHACK!

prissy. prissy. prissy.

why do you never learn?

===========================================

"miss scarlet! miss scarlet! i do know somethin''bout buryin' well-too many things! miss scarlet! i do know somethin''bout buryin' well-too many things! miss scarlet! i do--"

the inevitable slap.

WHACK!

st. little. st. little. st. little.

why do YOU never learn?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
_____________________________________________

CONSUMPTION.

your body is consuming you.

a disease is consuming your body which is consuming you.

body consume disease you which is.

a rose is a rose is a rose.

CONSUMPTION.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

CONSUMPTION.

is this happening because you have consumed too much of life?

and now rent is due as it were?

CONSUMPTION.

time to pay the piper?

life wants to even the score?

CONSUMPTION.

_____________________________________________

CONSUMPTION.

or is it simply microbes?

pulmonary alveoli?

CONSUMPTION.

endosomes?

simon foci?

(who i think i went to bennington with. i am pretty sure a simon foci sat behind me in the 19th century novel, sophomore year.)

CONSUMPTION.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CONSUMPTION.

blood tinged-sputum?

(charming phrase. oft used at social gatherings these days.)

("now THAT is a stunning shade of red my dear!")

("thank you my girl. isn't it though?! i got it at a party in chelsea. i call it ruby meets mars.")

CONSUMPTION.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
CONSUMPTION.

!

is life consuming me ravenously because i have consumed life so ravenously?

i thought that this was what you were supposed to do with life.

!! !!

auntie mame told me that "life was a banquet. and most poor suckers were starving."

!! !! !!

well.

i went back for seconds.

and thirds.

forths.

fifths.

sixths.

you get the picture.

!! !! !! !!

CONSUMPTION.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONSUMPTION.

i think i like CONSUMPTION best because it is an old-fashioned quaint--LITTLE WOMEN-like term.

though i know, technically, dear beth died of the above mentioned "miss" scarlet fever and not our friend--

CONSUMPTION.

_____________________________________________

but it is all the same:

consumption.

tuberculosis.

scarlet fever.

influenza.

pneumonia.

AIDS.

_____________________________________________

separate rooms.

doors closed.

whispers.

furrowed brows.

coughing. coughing. coughing.

a ceramic bowl.

tears.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

are they going to eventually fill my room with kittens, amy's sketches, and my "beloved dolls"?

will my sewing needle indeed become "so heavy" that i will never pick it up again?

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

consumption.

tuberculosis.

scarlet fever.

pneumonia.

influenza.

AIDS.

consumed. by disease. by life.

CONSUMPTION.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

but(t)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

CONSUMPTION.
_____________________________________________

it also has its high points.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it has:

high romance.

high tragedy.

high comedy.

.............................................

callas in LA TRAVIATA.

ah violetta!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

de los angeles in LA BOHEME.

ah mimi!

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

garbo.

bernhardt.

duse.

gish.

le gallienne.

bankhead.

allegra.

quinton.

and ludlam.

as marguerite guatier.
LA DAME AUX CAMELIAS.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

ah marguerite!

my favorite CONSUMPTIVE of all time.

more delightful and more interesting than a consumptive ought to be.

the veritable poster-child for consumption.

a lesson to all us consumptives:
miss marguerite gautier.

(and no relation to dick gautier for those who were wondering.)

#############################################

has anyone ever coughed bloody sputum or known simon foci with more grace and style than the tragediennes who have brought marguerite gautier to life/death?

i think not.

"send for the priest."

indeed.

anything you say ladies.

LA DAME AUX CAMELIAS.

and there is nothing like a dame.

especially a DAME AUX CAMELIAS... .

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"it is my wish to be buried sitting up."

"we're not through with the embalming."

i feel margo channing would also have died of consumption.

smoking a cigarette to the end.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

scads have been consumed by CONSUMPTION:

vivianleigh/florencenightengale/dhlawrence/henryviiofengland/jamesmonroe/voltaire/wcfields/ricocarty/balzac/eugeneo'neill/louisxiiioffrance/gauguin/dylanthomas/eleanorroosevelt/purcell/dashiellhammett/stbernadettesoubirous/eugenedelacroix/sarahbernhardt/thomas"tad"daniellincoln/okitasoji/napoleoniioffrance/alexandergrahambell/moliere/cardinalrichelieu/thebrontes/chopin/keats/modigliani/georgeorwell/jimmyblanton/chekhov/louisxviioffrance/williamsomersetmaugham/stravinsky/guydemaupassant/stmariafaustinakowalska.

stmariafaustinakowalska

--------------------------------------------

saint maria faustina kowalska

ok. whoa.

something calls out to me here.

i feel a connection.

i mean look at her.

vital. spiritual. hopeful. fantastical.

she is my long lost sainted sister.

i know it.

i can feel it.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

saint maria faustina kowalska.

jasonia faustina stanley kowalski st.little

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

smfk
+
jsl

smfk-commonly known as st. faustina.

jsl-commonly known as st. little.

smfk-polish nun, mystic, and visionary.

jsl-polish none, mystic and visionary.

smfk-venerated in the roman catholic church as a saint.

jsl-venerated in the old limelight dance club, as well as various bathouses and men's "social" clubs as a saint.

smfk-known as the apostle of divine mercy.

jsl-known as the apostle of i.d. glide personal lubricant. which provides divine mercy.

smfk-born near lodz, poland near the russian empire 25 august 1905.

jsl-born in bedford, indiana near the basketball empire 22 november 1967.

smfk wrote: DIARY: DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL. which is a report of her visions of jesus and her conversations with him.

jsl writes: SCREW THE ORIGINAL KEY. which is a report of my visions and my conversations. sometimes jesus is there. sometimes not. he's got a busy schedule.

smfk-joined a convent in warsaw at age 20.
jsl-did my 1st children's theatre tour at age 20.

smfk-transferred to plock. then to vilnius.
jsl-goes the same exact route with the BABES IN TOYLAND tour: warsaw! plock! vilnius! a lot of pierogi. a lot of tears.

smfk-died krakow, poland 5 october 1938

jsl-died. well. yet to be determined. krakow?

*********************************************and fausty-

which i lovingly call her.

we're friends now.
she lovingly calls me "little one".

she has shown me plenty of divine mercy over my days.-

she died in ecstasy with her visions.

really.

no.
really.
____________________________________________

hey.

hey.

this is jsl talking to smfk:

please fausty-let me die in ecstasy with visions too:

marilyn singing about diamonds.
villa lobos' bachiana brasileira no. 5-the sayao recording.
van gogh's mad vision of a night with stars.
elton john flying with another rocket man.
carol burnett as eunice.
any of the wizard of oz.
roy lichtenstein's nurses, wives, and other fallen women.
fellini's cabiria looking right into my soul as she smiles, weeps and fades out.
the sharks and the jets dancing at the gym.
bert. ernie. grover. kermit. big bird. et al.
nightswimming with rem.
hedwig putting on her make-up.

just to name a few.