Fountain
Oh good God, look at all that coming out her mouth. Why, it’s a river. Stand back; don’t
let your shoes get wet. Watch out for those fish jerking on the floor. Don’t look at their
eyes. She was just talking, saying how she didn’t understand prose, when the dribble
started, like she had too much saliva and couldn’t keep it back. The table was the first to
take a hit; even paper napkins couldn’t stop it spreading, rolling down the metal legs.
And then more: a few fast flushes. Her whole body would shake with the rushing.
Though now that it’s continuous – this almighty flow – she stands there looking at us,
turning her mouth to us, like a performance for us to stare. Like it’s normal to cry this
fear.
let your shoes get wet. Watch out for those fish jerking on the floor. Don’t look at their
eyes. She was just talking, saying how she didn’t understand prose, when the dribble
started, like she had too much saliva and couldn’t keep it back. The table was the first to
take a hit; even paper napkins couldn’t stop it spreading, rolling down the metal legs.
And then more: a few fast flushes. Her whole body would shake with the rushing.
Though now that it’s continuous – this almighty flow – she stands there looking at us,
turning her mouth to us, like a performance for us to stare. Like it’s normal to cry this
fear.