scarlet kilbey cried herself to sleep
20 minutes later her daddy
who tried hard
but was rougher and more clumsy
than her little mama
he woke her up
as she woke up
the pain started up in her hands
daddy had rubbed some cream on them
but it hadnt helped at all
out into the open air
scarlet kilbey moaned and waved her little hands about
by the time we got to school
she was beside herself
but daddy
who was getting on a bit in years
he couldnt see what it was
even with his glasses on
aurora takes scarlets hand
oh no dad shes got hundreds in there
aurora begins to do her best
plucking the tiny tiny spines out
she could only just see them herself
when the hand was turned into the light
like tiny little hairs
scarlets palms and fingers n thumbs
were full of miniscule white spines
i know they hurt cos i got some in my hand from her
a lovely mummy from the school
takes us to her place
where under a bright light n magnifying glass
she took 45 minutes to remove the hundreds literally of nasties
scarlet screamed n whimper n eventually broke into
a maniacal laughter
bordering on hysteria
just like aurora did
just like her old daddy did when he was a boy
i’d cry n cry n then begin to cackle wildly
eventually the ordeal is over
i take kids to beach
oooh boy scarlet kilbey wants to jump in the sea today
unbearably humid weather
all the tears n pain n a sticky muesli bar
made her wanna cool down
the big girls are straight into the water
her daddy-o takes all her clothes off
they go down to waters edge
scarlet can almost feel that warm foamy water
swirling caressing reminding her of the long forgotten womb
but
uh oh
daddys screaming to the doodles to get out
no daddy why why
daddys seen some things on the shore
blue soft things with long blue streamers
scarlet realises she aint gonna getta a swim n shes furious
daddy seems really angry too
he stands yelling n arguing at everybody
boy when evie didnt come out of the sea
he went kinda crazy
somedays daddy is so funny and sweet
and somedays hes running around yelling at us and mummy
and we all pretend to be frightened
(of course we’re not!)
poor daddy!
we get home n mummys waiting
then karin comes over to babysit
karin is the mother of the big sisters
karin is very kind and speaks with a strange accent
karin is very happy today
she tells daddy-o
that some movie is using a song they wrote
and that theyre gonna get some money from it
daddy and mummy go out
daddy is reciting some lyrics at the opera house
the poets before him are funny humorous vigourous
when daddy gets up
the spirit refuses to take him
not like at triffids or even melbo expo
where the spirit descended and guided him
daddy was bereft of inspiration
after the real poets
his lyrics sound like….lyrics
he gets a little angry
i coulda read them so real poetry he thinks
his brief spot over
to a smattering of lukewarm applause
daddy pisses off home quick
but no one was gonna bother him tonight
when he gets home he finds out
that he has got an actual audition
AND
the rest of family are also ALL auditioning for the same ad
my description is
a bearded man in his early fifties
should look educated but also rugged n weatherbeaten
an antarctic scientist!
druid, is that me or what?
anyway
daddy gets roped into picking up minna
my eldest sister whos working tonight
daddy goes out n checks his radiator
and gets soaked by the wild thunderstorm raging over syd
he makes a detour to bottle shop for 2 bottles of riccadonna
when he gets to minna ha ha
she is working for a bit longer
amazed by how grown up
how cooly intelligent and gorgeous his daughter is
daddy agrees to wait
parked in the black streets
rain gushing down
listening to coffee hounds ep in his car
well ya know its kinda fuckin’ good
daddy eventually drives minna home
comes in
we all go to bed
mummys having a bath
and daddy
i suppose lost himself in intoxication n love
trying to blot out
a black friday