Monday, November 23, 2009

LXVI: Clarke XII


Drunk with Clarke last night. Feeling sorry for ourselves in his living room after watching Kelly's Heroes. Peetsabooty was sleeping on the carpet in front of us. We were at a lull in the conversation when Clarke said, "I think life is generally a little disappointing."

"Yeah. A little," I replied. Too casually.

"The gifts I wanted to give were never needed."

"What gifts?"

"Oh, I dunno. The ways I'm good at being nice aren't helpful, and the ways I'm bad at it are."

I looked at Peetsabooty. He stared back with that vacant, soul-less look animals have. Nothing but instinct. Glassy eyes. Like a man exhausted at the end of a drunk.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This one makes me sad.
A dog with a name like "Peetsabooty" has gotta have a soul.

Boyda said...

Yeah, these last few posts have been exceptionally bleak - but eloquent. I feel like you're honing in on something here. Something.

Kelly's Heroes, eh. Are you pining for chauvinist heroism? (and by 'chauvinist' I in no way mean to insult the film)

s$s said...

Boyda:

Yeah. I've felt a little bleak. I hadn't realized it.

Am I "pining for chauvinist heroism?" I don't know. Maybe. Mostly I just like Donald Sutherland in it, and the song that plays when the tank battle is beginning. And I like almost everything Clint Eastwood is in. Clarke has a big collection of Clint Eastwood VHS tapes he ordered through the mail.

s$s said...

Jon K:

I love Peetsabooty, and I don't know much about souls, but sometimes every animal is just, y'know, an animal.

Pete is a riot sometimes.