Drafts of “The Phoenix Part 3: The Cook (and the Thief, His Life, and His Oeuvre)”
2020-11-07
# The Phoenix Part 3: The Cook (and the Thief, His Life, and His Oeuvre)
## Other Birds
3: Bluebird – egg thief dressed in clothes that look like Mister Bluebird has
frequently been on his shoulder and rarely missed.
4: Phoenix struggling to fly. Almost as bad as when A, B & C once walked among
Pinguinus Giganticus in Florida.
5:harpy – public gallery raised. A, B, or C scared of heights and reminded of
rappelling down a cliff to snatch a quick view of a harpy.
6: Caladrius – optimism resurrected like the caladrius’ effect on their car
7: Griffin – Frequent car problems once ‘pull started’ by a griffin, but this
time pulled along by the crowd while they ride on the roof.
8: Cockatris – Crowd watching screens, still as if turned to stone.
Somebody wants to steal some phoenix eggs
—–
Up on the dome it seemed that the phoenix
once more was no longer alone;
accompanied this time by someone whose ethics
the trio would never condone.
He went by the name of Freddie ‘Fingers’ Farrago,
and was a specialist in the art of cuisine.
He claimed that long ago this had saved him, you know,
from the fantasy his existence had been.
Many regretted this development because
they felt that the cost was too high.
Freddie always cooked bird’s eggs because Freddie was
jealous of the way birds could fly.
An extinction or two were thought to be due
solely to his nefarious fun
Clearly, the rarer the egg the more Freddie pursued
it, scrambled, fried, or well done.
As he got ever older, he got ever bolder
but considered his dress less and less.
it seemed Mr Bluebird had been on his shoulder
and had left one hell of a mess
It was a similar sight, to his left and his right,
His trousers, shoes, shirt and hat.
With scars on his cheeks where many victims’ beaks
had shown their opinion on that.
For the avian azure, we can but be sure,
would consider him non-satisfactual.
The dicky-bird’s digestion, without any question.
had rendered it’s opinion quite tactual.
His reputation, it’s true, was known to quite a few,
but not to the media factions.
But they soon got a clue what this figure would do
and promptly sprang into action.
“And you rejoin at a time of an ongoing crime!”
That was ‘Mythology’ Giles.
“That camouflage jacket? It is simply sublime!”
– Candy, all ignorance and smiles.
One by one without fail they each told the tale
to somebody back in the studio.
Dull questions entailed, repetition trite and stale,
and the term anchor seemed apropos.
The officers who bolstered security left holstered
their cattle prods and hallucinogen spray.
Although they looked stern, they showed no concern
for justice and earning their pay.
A poorly written decree from the twelfth century
was the reason for their inattention.
A phoenix could never be, the victim of a felony.
Therefore it needed no intervention.
“Think!” implored Alan, “We must stop him, but…
we need a plan – a blueprint of how.”
“Too slow!” replied Brian “I feel it in my gut
that the time to take action is now.”
They drew themselves up, set off with a stride
and they could not understand why
Charlie halted their try, his arms opened wide,
(and also with a tic in one eye).
Charlie wasn’t one known for standing quietly by
and so Alan and Brian now knew
there was a factor unknown, but they could not espy
what Charlie perceived to be true.
Freddie reached into the nest, as the audience professed
their will for a lesson to be learnt.
But, as Charlie had guessed, no eggs were at rest
and Fingers had definitely been burnt.
Freddie rolled the same route as he descended the dome.
Landing across the very same mast.
Fate put in the boot, and as the lifter lay prone,
his resting place gave way at last.
But, slowed, he fell down, rather than out.
Able to grab at a banner.
He had a moment of doubt, and let out a shout
of a clearly uncivil manner.
Clinging, swinging, as in the average Hollywood cash-in,
whenever the protagonist falls.
Legs extending, waist bending, in true movie-star fashion
– but it doesn’t work well upon walls.
He crashed with a splat; a tangible impact that
embedded his shape in the wall
Charlie was convinced that everyone winced
as Freddie completed his fall.
So as the media set competed to get
a quote from this proven bad egg,
Alan noted the threat that making an omelette
could involve breaking some legs.
The race for the sake of how the story would break,
by audio, picture, or text,.
meant none of the news teams, were able to take
much notice of what happened next.
———————————————
2020-11-02 21:36
# The Phoenix Part 3: The Cook (and the Thief, His Life, and His Oeuvre)
## Other Birds
3: Bluebird – egg thief dressed in clothes that look like Mister Bluebird has
frequently been on his shoulder and rarely missed.
4: Phoenix struggling to fly. Almost as bad as when A, B & C once walked among
Pinguinus Giganticus in Florida.
5:harpy – public gallery raised. A, B, or C scared of heights and reminded of
rappelling down a cliff to snatch a quick view of a harpy.
6: Caladrius – optimism resurrected like the caladrius’ effect on their car
7: Griffin – Frequent car problems once ‘pull started’ by a griffin, but this
time pulled along by the crowd while they ride on the roof.
8: Cockatris – Crowd watching screens, still as if turned to stone.
Somebody wants to steal some phoenix eggs
—–
Up on the dome it seemed that the phoenix
once more was no longer alone;
accompanied this time by someone whose ethics
the trio would never condone.
He went by the name of Freddie ‘Fingers’ Farrago,
and was a specialist in the art of cuisine.
He claimed that long ago this had saved him, you know,
from the fantasy his existence had been.
Many regretted this development because
they felt that the cost was too high.
Freddie always cooked bird’s eggs because Freddie was
jealous of the way birds could fly.
An extinction or two were thought to be due
solely to his nefarious fun
Clearly, the rarer the egg the more Freddie pursued
it, scrambled, fried, or well done.
As he got ever older, he got ever bolder
but considered his dress less and less.
it seemed Mr Bluebird had been on his shoulder
and had left one hell of a mess
It was a similar sight, to his left and his right,
His trousers, shoes, shirt and hat.
With scars on his cheeks where many victims’ beaks
had shown their opinion on that.
For the avian azure, we can but be sure
would not regard him satisfactual.
The dicky-bird’s digestion, without any question.
had rendered it’s opinion tactual.
His reputation, it’s true, was known to quite a few,
but unknown to the media factions.
But when they reviewed, what this figure was up to
They immediately sprang into action.
“And you rejoin at a time of an ongoing crime!”
That was ‘Mythology’ Giles.
“That camouflage jacket? It is simply sublime!”
– Candy, missing the matter by miles.
One by one without fail they each told the tale
to somebody back in the studio.
Dull questions entailed,repetition trite and stale,
and the term anchor seemed apropos.
The officers who bolstered security left holstered
their cattle prods and hallucinogen spray.
Their weapons were stayed, and they ??? displayed
no interest in keeping Freddie away.
A poorly written decree from the twelfth century
was the reason for their inattention.
A phoenix could never be, the victim of a felony.
and so it needed no intervention.
“Think!” implored Alan, “We must stop him, but…
we need a plan – a blueprint of how.”
“Too slow!” replied Brian “I feel it in my gut
that the time to take action is now.”
They drew themselves up, set off with a stride
and they could not understand why
Charlie halted their try, his arms opened wide,
(and also with a tic in one eye).
Charlie wasn’t one known for standing quietly by
and so Alan and Brian now knew
there was a factor unknown, but they could not espy
what it was Charlie knew to be true.
Freddie reached into the nest, as the audience professed
their will for a lesson to be learnt.
But, as Charlie had guessed, no eggs were at rest
and Fingers had definitely been burnt.
Freddie rolled the same route as he descended the dome.
He landing across the very same mast.
Fate put in the boot, and as the lifter lay prone,
his resting place gave way at last.
But, slowed, he fell down, rather than out.
Able to grab at a banner.
He had a moment of doubt, and let out a shout
of a clearly uncivil manner.
Clinging, swinging, as in the average Hollywood cash-in,
whenever the protagonist falls.
Legs extending, waist bending, in true movie-star fashion,
but it doesn’t work well upon walls.
He crashed with a splat; a tangible impact that
embedded his shape in the wall
Charlie was convinced that everyone winced
as Freddie completed his fall.
So as the media set competed to get
a quote from this proven bad egg,
Alan noted the threat that making an omelette
could involve breaking some legs.
The race for the sake of how the story would break,
by audio, picture, or text,.
meant none of the news teams, were able to take
much notice of what happened next.
———————————————
2020-10-26 23:15
# The Phoenix Part 3: The Cook (and the Thief, His Life, and His Oeuvre)
## Other Birds
3: Bluebird – egg thief dressed in clothes that look like Mister Bluebird has
frequently been on his shoulder and rarely missed.
4: Phoenix struggling to fly. Almost as bad as when A, B & C once walked among
Pinguinus Giganticus in Florida.
5:harpy – public gallery raised. A, B, or C scared of heights and reminded of
rappelling down a cliff to snatch a quick view of a harpy.
6: Caladrius – optimism resurrected like the caladrius’ effect on their car
7: Griffin – Frequent car problems once ‘pull started’ by a griffin, but this
time pulled along by the crowd while they ride on the roof.
8: Cockatris – Crowd watching screens, still as if turned to stone.
Somebody wants to steal some phoenix eggs
—–
Up on the dome it seemed that the phoenix
once more was no longer alone;
accompanied this time by someone whose ethics
the trio would never condone.
He went by the name of Freddie ‘Fingers’ Farrago,
and was a specialist in the art of cuisine.
He claimed that long ago this had saved him, you know,
from the fantasy his existence had been.
Many regretted this development because
they felt that the cost was too high.
Freddie always cooked bird’s eggs because Freddie was
jealous of the way birds could fly.
An extinction or two were thought to be due
solely to his nefarious fun
Clearly, the rarer the egg the more Freddie pursued
it, scrambled, fried, or well done.
As he got ever older, he got ever bolder
but considered his dress less and less.
it seemed Mr Bluebird had been on his shoulder
and had left one hell of a mess
It was a similar sight, to his left and his right,
His trousers, shoes, shirt and hat.
With scars on his cheeks where many victims’ beaks
had shown their opinion on that.
For the avian azure, we can but be sure
would not regard him satisfactual.
The dicky-bird’s digestion, without any question.
had rendered it’s opinion tactual.
His reputation, it’s true, was known to quite a few,
but unknown to the media factions.
But when they reviewed, what this figure was up to
They immediately sprang into action.
“And you rejoin at a time of an ongoing crime!”
That was ‘Mythology’ Giles.
“That camouflage jacket? It is simply sublime!”
– Candy, missing the matter by miles.
One by one without fail they each told the tale
to somebody back in the studio.
Dull questions entailed,repetition trite and stale,
and the term anchor seemed apropos
cattleprods holstered
a poorly written decree from the twelfth century
Now you would have thought the blockading policemen
would have acted to arrest this slime.
but it seemed that a royal decree from way back when
said Phoenixes were never involved in crime.
“I guess it is up to us” said Alan “to stop him but
we need a plan. We need to know how.”
“Rubbish!” declared Brian “That’s too slow. I feel it in my gut.
that the time for any action is now.”
They drew themselves up and set off with a stride
and they could not understand why
Charlie chose to stop them with his arms stretched wide,
and also with a tic in one eye.
Charlie wasn’t one known for standing quietly by
so Alan and Brian now knew
there was a factor unknown, but they could not espy
what it was Charlie knew to be true.
Fingers reached underneath then a scream rent the air
as pilferer and watchers both learnt
that the phoenix had no eggs, the nest had been bare
and Fingers had definitely been burnt.
Fingers took a familiar path as he rolled down the roof
He landed against the very same mast.
As it protested he groaned, something like “Oof!”,
then his resting place gave way at last.
But its gallant sacrifice had served to delay his fall
and, as those who were present saw,
a lorry load of mattresses had just parked against the wall
so he bounced before hitting the floor.
So as the newshounds raced to the casualty to get
a quote, probably revolving around eggs,
Alan observed “It just shows that you shouldn’t make an omelette
if you’re not prepared to break a few legs.”
So as the race continued as to how the story would break,
whether by picture or whether by text,
Alan, Brian and Charlie were the only ones to take
a good look at what happened next.
———————————————
2001-06-24
# The Phoenix Part 3 – The Cook (and the Thief, His Life, and His Oeuvre)
Up on the dome it seemed that the phoenix
once more was no longer alone.
It was accompanied this time by someone whose ethics
the trio would never condone.
He went by the name of Frederick ‘Fingers’ Farrago.
He was a specialist in the art of cuisine
He claimed that this interest had saved him some time ago
from the fantasy his life had been.
There were many who regretted this development because
they felt that the cost was too high.
Frederick always cooked bird’s eggs for Frederick was
jealous of their ability to fly.
He was thought to be responsible for an extinction or two.
He seemed to regard it as fun.
It seemed that the rarer the egg in Frederick’s view
the more he desired it well done.
This dismal reputation though was known to only a few.
He was unknown to the media factions.
Though it did not take them long to work out what he was up to
then they immediately sprang into action.
“And you rejoin us here at a very exciting time!”
That was ‘Mythology’ Giles.
“Where did he get that jacket? It is simply sublime!”
– Candy, missing the point by miles.
One by one without fail each of them turned
to a story that was their lingua franca
leaving Alan and Brian and Charlie feeling they’d learned
just why the term was ‘an anchor’.
Now you would have thought the blockading policemen
would have acted to arrest this slime.
but it seemed that a royal decree from way back when
said Phoenixes were never involved in crime.
“I guess it is up to us” said Alan “to stop him but
we need a plan. We need to know how.”
“Rubbish!” declared Brian “That’s too slow. I feel it in my gut.
that the time for any action is now.”
They drew themselves up and set off with a stride
and they could not understand why
Charlie chose to stop them with his arms stretched wide,
and also with a tic in one eye.
Charlie wasn’t one known for standing quietly by
so Alan and Brian now knew
there was a factor unknown, but they could not espy
what it was Charlie knew to be true.
Fingers reached underneath then a scream rent the air
as pilferer and watchers both learnt
that the phoenix had no eggs, the nest had been bare
and Fingers had definitely been burnt.
Fingers took a familiar path as he rolled down the roof
He landed against the very same mast.
As it protested he groaned, something like “Oof!”,
then his resting place gave way at last.
But its gallant sacrifice had served to delay his fall
and, as those who were present saw,
a lorry load of mattresses had just parked against the wall
so he bounced before hitting the floor.
So as the newshounds raced to the casualty to get
a quote, probably revolving around eggs,
Alan observed “It just shows that you shouldn’t make an omelette
if you’re not prepared to break a few legs.”
So as the race continued as to how the story would break,
whether by picture or whether by text,
Alan, Brian and Charlie were the only ones to take
a good look at what happened next.
—————————————-
2001-05
Each part of the poem concludes with the reactions of three observers (along
the lines of the three wise men of Gotham). The first two tend to have
conflicting views. The third one says nothing but has a tic in his eye (they
are all twitchers). At the end of the last part the first two agree for the
first and only time and the third says nothing but smiles (but still has a tic
in his eye).
These 3 observers are Alan, Brian & Charlie. I suspect that they will be
starting each section as well. If each section is physically located in a
different area then the poem could arrive at each area when they do.
Look up words/phrases connected to fire/burning & resurrection.
Sections
1. The Immolation.
An old rather dull Phoenix is preparing its nest ready to die causing great
interest.
When it does it bursts into flames and is reborn in bright reds, oranges &
yellows.
Unfortunately it has damaged the building and is arrested for arson.
At a public building. Could have at least one person mistakenly try to snatch
eggs (there aren’t any) and end up getting their fingers burnt (literally).
2. The trial.
In the courtroom. A,B & C in the public gallery + could be called as
witnesses.
At the (well protested (inflammable attitudes?)) trial it is found guilty and
rather harshly sentenced to death in the electric chair.
3. The decision.
A,B & C drowning their sorrows in a bar getting angry. Eventually decide to
throw a protest.
4. The protest.
Outside the location for part 5. Interfering with preparations wherever
possible. Mobilise the rest of the bar’s patrons at the start and pick up more
on the journey. This could mirror the phoenix’s resurrection with attitudes
getting greyer and greyer until they pick up with the new resolution.
5. The electrocution.
At the witness stand. Should be a major public turnout also watching via TV
screens outside the building. This would probably be where A,B & C would be.
Its colours have dimmed by the time it is carried out. (Gives us time for a
protest movement?). It is strapped into the modified chair. The switch is
thrown. The phoenix dies and is reborn in brilliant blues and whites.
(Differences may extend to speed and manner of movement as well)
