the child is dressing
her hands suddenly bloom from her sleeves like flowers
scarlet kilbey quite a scourge and a ratbag
no youre a ratbag she says
running around carrying on
no repentance for my painting
just a sly grin
your painting she smiles
in the painting
a blond bearded neuman holds a pistol
hes wearing glasses and a flower power shirt
behind him vegetation scrambles a la the vegetalista
thorns brambles leaves flowers fighting for light
outside a window sydney dreams harbour bridge and all
something has spooked him
hes alert and listening
his cheek and his chest are white instead of flesh
where scarlet the pimple-nell
attacked poor rudy with the turkey-oise
a bit of his ear is white too
cos it needed lengthening
neumans hair is metallic gold and copper with red n yellow hi-lites
his eyes are cobalt blue pastel tho that may change
he holds a gun in his hand
cos he’s a spy
no one knows whose side he’s on after all those doublecrosses
a consortium of japanese investors has invited him to australia
but something went wrong in the eastern suburbs of sydney
and now he’s holed up in some rich bints apartment
neuman spends his days on the computer
for the time being at any rate
he googles leviathan and kraken
the thing in the sea will wake up soon he thinks
an invisible woman was a following me
trying to seduce my immediacy
tho he must be in his fifties
neuman still looks early thirties, max
if that
his skin is smooth and pinkly tanned
his demeanour is that of a youngman
who knows why that is
something about him familiar
uh i dunno
hes got his finger on the trigger tho
hes squeezing it a little
he’s ready for those little gremlins
he’s loaded the gun with hyperdarts
it cannot miss
outside the window its about 1 26 p.m.
the cbd stands there preposterous and bold
the water in the harbour is ice blue mixed with white
just outside next door sprawls leafy australianic suburbs
gum trees
lovely views
the harbour to the west
the ocean to the east
still neuman listens
listens forever
forever young in gouache and pastel
all 3 and a half feet by 2 and a half feet of him
sticky taped onto my wall
bubbling up all over as i put paint on
if he looks very german
its because he is very german
his mother mechthilde was from the west
his father trauma neuman was from the east
now he lives in brazil
because thats his kinda town
a cat and a maid and everything
the border is unfinished
a rhomboid space also stands empty
coming in at a weird angle
it will contain at least one orchid
maybe more
the window and the angled orchid will also interrupt the border
which will be eyes
cos neuman himself says
the night has a thousand eyes
and vishnu has a thousand names
at least a thousand ways to die
at least a thousand ways to love
eyes watch you
my paintings watch you back
look out
i see through all the eyes in my paintings
like little recon. devices all over the world
my eyes look out at your world
my seeing paintings see you so beware
skarpa dej !
neumans gun is solid adamantine
his hyperdarts are uranially tipped
soft explosions which will thump the night
gentle penetration gentle interpenetration
which universe are you from, neuman?
hes focussed on something we can never see
something outside the painting
you cant have it all
and you cant paint it all neither
somethings forever remain unknown
how could you know everything?
and how could you remember it if you did?
neuman is a bit of a genius himself
look i dont condone or condemn the man
hes blown away a few fictional villains , so what?
now here he is visiting sydney-on-the-waters
the leafy eastern subs
be careful, neuman
another attack by scarlet in blue
maybe
the end of you