By: Cleaners from Venus
From: Songs for a Fallow Land (1985)
(Slowly) Understanding the Turtle
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Have you ever saw a young turtle?
Apparently, nobody ever. There are terrapins, but who knows how old they are. Little things do not mean little age. In fact, you shrink as you grow up. Anyway, when you stare at a turtle it seems its already there for a long time. If you are a cientist you may look at them and perhaps get bored before said turtle shows any sign of life. Well, if you are a cientist, then you have nothing to do with staring at turtles. If you have no home, asking a shell out of a turtle isn't a great idea. They do not speak our language, though they eat, sleep, blink, and have partners. For a turtle to meet another is like an everlasting friendship. A turtle moves so slow like a snail, but they do not leave a goo trace behind. It's not that turtles are slow, you see, but have you ever saw a turtle in search of a job? In search of a home? No, they do not need it. As for I, though... I have legs. Rat legs. A tail too, which have no use other than be washed in bath.
Bath? When was the last time? Don't remember. What, a rat like you never saw the rain? A guy asked once. No, I didn't. Was born here I think. Why do people think all rats saw rain? I know rain, but never lived in it. Hate being soaked, only my hands are fine. Anyway, gotta work. Careful to not let 'em step on you. Huge legs, for huge pants. Whew! I'm alive, I can't say same about the huge legs. I can't see their faces, they can't see me, they only look in front of 'em, walk against where I walk, wear shoes, I spit on them to have some. Have what? Money that's good I have none. Not yet. Lots and lots of legs in the way, where do they end? Oh, a light! I see it. It hurts the eyes, but better than a tail hurt. This people do not have tails. These guy are sick. No, this goes for this, and these goes for cheese. No, wait... uh, forget. Gotta work.
Clean windows, lally-ho. Lick them clean, and cleaner, cleanest, cleanestest. Limeade, wagons, all I want are crystals, and dungeons and dragons. Old McDonald had a farm, then he had another, then he had another and another and another and another... I may be this little, but that's a job that do not cost me arm. It cost the whole of me, but I'm fine. As long as I have a cart to carry all things I need. Things I need, things I buy, things I gently sneak out of pockets. Nothing wrong, they do pay attention to a face in a coin, but not the face of a boy. Face of rat, I see by the window. Well, you are my only friend. Turtle friend I see front, not back. Okay, first cover the glass with soap, and them I clean it with water, mop, and when there isn't any mop, I use my hands. Plain and simple, you know. Then comes the itching, not bad. My hands get clean, the window too, and my tongue too, when they aren't watching.
Morning, afternoon and night, I clean windows. One for the bride, for the nun and for the widow. At end, I feel tired, my eyes blinking, but they do not hurt. No, nothing hurt but my heart for the girl I flirt. Better pour water in the dry throat. Yuck, bad taste in mouth, then I belch bubbles out my stomach. Feel better, feel lonely, do not cry, what hurts is that there is only me to sing lullaby. See, I'm bad at singing and at speaking, and I have a voice of dried milk. Or something awful as that. Well, back to my job, I can say that sometimes the window is so polished that I can see myself and I see a lot of people too, but I never talk with any of them unless they want their windows clean. I tell 'em the price, pretty low, and they accept me. Some look strange, cross-eyes, should not bother.
I am hungry. Sandwich of bread is my favorite. I have a lot of imagination for what's in between, other than nothing. I wonder who came up with rats that walk and talk, who had the imagination for doing it. Kids should play around, but I do have fun in cleaning windows. And I play with myself, can't hurt myself. Next day, gotta work again. Have some fun. Is it any better to be stuck in a rot than stuck in a soot? Don't know.
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