suddenly 9 billion tvs went black
outraged and telly addicted idiots sucked in their breath angrily
city officials glared at the blankness muttering
security guards n toll booth operators spat curses
nursing mommies gawked …the soapies had been inta-rupted
as the whole world stared in horror at their dead screens
a flickering image replaced the utter tripe they had been mainlining
a mans face solidified upon the screen
a man in a tangled flowery forest
oh a handsome man stared out at the dumb world
no mere youth this man had true authority
around him the medicinal vines n whispering lianas interwove
weird flowers with huge thorns
darknesses under leaves
sick and strange blooms grew in that living jungle
that sentient jumbled vegetal mass of buds n stems n trunks
branches snaked behind him
becoming him
embracing him
the man seemed dark n dull within the bright forest
but his eyes penetrated the warm murk
all around him
around the edge of the tvs perimeter
skulls burn in red n yellow flames
red rimmed eyes watched
following your every move
the jungle hovered protectively around the man
who remained in the liquid shadows
who flickered in n out of your consciousness
the man gazed out silently at his captive audients
as the plantlife rustled around him and vibrated
as the trees shot up the earth
as their sap ran narcotic in a sticky flood
as dreamy drugs oozed from tiny nicks in stamens
as all the wonderful things vishnu included began to move
only some will understand
only some will not joke
only some will receive this revelation in good faith
silence if you can say nothing that will shed light
keep your mouth closed if you cannot match these words
keep your mind still
let your heart beat slowly
close your eyes
you will still see that mans face on your screen
yes you will see with your closed eyes
yes you can listen instead of prattling away
see the mans sad stern face
his eyes full of detached compassion
his vague sympathy
the foliage moves around him in some unfelt zephyr
the plants curl right out of your computer screen
the plants wriggle n writhe
you are struck motionless
you are rendered intrance
you are brought into focus
the background n inane chatter of your mind falls away
the ceaseless knot in your stomach relaxes
your blood pressure goes down n down
the blood pumps round your body smoothly
in great crimson spurts of life
still the man regards you
still the vegetation is not still
it weaves n wanders n bustles n hassles
the venus fly traps open n close
in a lewd flora-sexual come on
pollen shakes everywhere
rude little bees
the tiny hairs of the plants are in motion
small mouths are open
the plantlife is bumping n grinding
the flowers are all making love
but the sadman never loses his gaze
he watches you amidst the gyrating n bucking roots n leaves
the vegetalista
the lonely one
finally he utters a word
his lips form a single syllable
every one heard it in their own language
though the vegetalista spoke in holy and high english
the voice was soft sad and soothing
the voice sang as it spoke
the voice spoke as it sank
the mans eyes narrowed and harrowed
tiny points of light issued forth
presently he spoke the word
the word you wanted to hear
he spoke that word from your commandeered tv set
from your cheap little idiot box
or your widescreen plasmatic feelaround monstrosity
the vegetalista spoke and the plantlife was still
everything in the world was listening
every thing had been leading up to now
all those long seconds from yesterdays were so you could arrive here
the events
the cities in the dust
the long lives in the sun
all of it n everything
so that you could focus on this single syllable
the outside world recedes
there is now nothing but the word
the winged word which flies from his curved lips
the word
the word is
YOU