Book of Bulmash, chapter 103

Book of Bulmash, chapter 103

1. The mother peered into her coffee cup, trying to name the peculiar experience in which she found herself.
2. Had her soul left her body without her notice? Had she awoken to life in another universe?
3. Was the Apocalypse truly upon the family?
4. For the nine year-old had arisen from his bed with very little resistance that dawn.
5. The child recounted to his mother that he had resisted the temptation to sneak downstairs to the kitchen at midnight;
6. He had consumed a snack, but not one forbidden to him at that hour;
7. And further, the child announced, "I refrained from eating my snack upstairs in my bed --- nay, I ate at the kitchen table as I should.
8. "And then I cleaned up after my snack and returned to my bed to sleep."
9. The mother's eyes scanned the kitchen, but found no evidence to disprove the child's tale.
10. With some effort, she closed her slack jaw.
11. Meanwhile, the boy proceeded to consume his breakfast and morning dietary supplementation.
12. Then a great and nearly-incomprehensible revelation dawned in the mother's mind:
13. The child was Following Directions... without being goaded into this behavior by maternal rage and frustration.
14. The family was witnessing a morning ritual that would nourish all, body and soul.
15. The mother made sure to thank her son with genuine gratitude, bestowing a kiss to the forehead.
16. Then she returned to her caffeine and thanked the Almighty for what was surely a hallucination that would vanish with the rising sun.

NAAM exhibit: work(shop) with me, people

Make some time for family... in a collage you'll make yourself.

I'm teaching a collage workshop in February at the Northwest African American Museum! We'll collage copies of your favorite family photos onto art papers of your choice. Oh, but we're not done yet. We'll use one of my favorite techniques to add words to your pictures. Details:

If you've ever wanted to take a class with me... THIS IS YOUR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY. Sign up now -- yeah, I know the class isn't until February, but next month will be here sooner than you think!

Book of Bulmash, chapter 108

Chapter 108

1. The lamp oil of midnight burned in the father's workspace, as he prepared materials for the following day's labor.
2. Despite the late hour, he was not surprised to hear his nine-year-old son at the door.
3. "Father," the boy said, "Father, I cannot sleep. Mine eyes will not close, nor will my body relax in yon bed.
4. "I cannot lull myself to slumber. Deliver me from my restlessness, I beg of thee."
5. The father went down to the kitchen to investigate, knowing his son's penchant for covert late-night snacking.
6. And lo, within the food storage unit, sat the source of the child's anguish: an empty can which once held a beverage the child was forbidden to imbibe after the evening meal.
7. The patriarch arched his eyebrow as he assessed the evidence.
8. "Thou hast defied the Lord of Caffeine, he who laughs loud and long at man's need for rest," said the father.
9. "If justice were served, thou wouldst not not escape thy self-inflicted insomnia. But I shall be merciful;
10. "I give to thee half a sleep aid, and with this weapon shalt thou battle the Lord of Caffeine until he loses interest in thee at daybreak.
11. And the father delivered the medication unto his son, then turned back to his work.
12. And the boy trudged away to find the elusive path to sleep.