Silver Water
(Regular and unremitting except where pause is indicated)
A Underwater. Deep underwater
B No. Shallow water
A Deep Underwater
B Set sail in your deep water. Shallow water
A I could fuck you now
B Deep Underwater?
A In your shallow water
B I told you. Shallow water
A Deep Underwater
B There’s nobody there
A Let go of
B Yes?
A The things
B Oh yes
A The marriage
B Ha!
A The ring
B The clit ring? Ha Ha!
A For instance
B The rings
A Your head
B Deep underwater
A Shallow water
B I love Manhattan
A It too
B That
A It and That. Both shallow water
B Deep underwater?
A Say it once more
B Shallow water
A No. Say “deep underwater”
B Deep underwater?
A Say it once more
B No
A You must
B You dust
A Legs off, you must
B I’m stupid. Big tits
A Tango tits
B Remember the cross-your-heart?
A PLAYTEX
B It fucking worked on you. You clown
A Let it go
B Why?
A It’s time
B It’s boring
A It’s transcendental meditation
B You fuck
A You fuck too
B This is boring
A I hate you
B Shallow water
A I won’t let you win
B You will beat me?
A No. I will not
B You will nerve me
A Nerve rain
B You rain I rain it rains
A I licked the rain
B Off my angry tits
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
B Like me!
A Just once?
B Try
A It’s all a try
B Try harder
A Code for fuck
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
B Ha!
A Your ceramic dildo
B That thing
A Let it go
B And walk funny?
A What’s funny?
B A camp Singaporean
A What?
B It’s a joke
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Carry on
B Stop looking
A My eyes are closed
B Lose your anger
A Like a fish?
B Swim off
A To the sea?
B To shallow water
A Deep underwater
B Say what you mean
A I am trying
B Try harder
A Give me permission
B It’s too late
A Give it anyway
B Well. Yes
A No. Just “Yes”
B That’s worthless
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A It’s getting humid
B You stink now
A Now?
B You always did
A You always said so
B I could have done better
A Bowl of cherries
B Cherry
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Smell it
B Then what?
A Who can say?
B The asylum
A So what?
B Who will visit me?
A I will
B You don’t count
A I never counted
B Only up to 4. Like MONBODDO’s savages
A Clever cunt
B I’ve read your books too. Cunt-breath
A Are you a match for me?
B Only you know
A Clever. Clever cunt
B I don’t like to be called cunt
A I’m sorry
B It’s aggressive
A What isn’t?
B Not that. OK?
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Cry for me
B It’s been a while
A Far too long
B My dentist
A Your student dentist
B Never again
A It was just a job
B You fucking clown!
A A job is a job
B A blowjob
A Please
B A slow blowjob
A Why tease?
B Languorous blow…job. Blowjob, blowjob, BLOWJOB!
A That’s not nice
B Blowjob blackout
A Be careful
B Blowjob backhand
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A All over again
B You started it
A I had hopes
B You’re a fucking dreamer!
A I am
B And a clown
A Am I?
B First a clown
A Funny
B No. Droll
A Strange
B As fuck
A Why don’t we
B Let me think
A Fuck
B Fuck it. Why don’t we fuck?
A For a change
B Change of what?
A Feelings
B Walk away
A Walk away?
B Walk away
A NYPD
B I’d shoot you
A If what
B I had a gun
A Here
B What’s that
A A gun
B Bang
A I’m dead
B That changed nothing
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Feel better?
B That changed nothing
A Deep underwater
B That changed nothing
A Deep underwater
B Nothing changed
A You didn’t do it right
B So what? Nothing changed
A It’s connected
B You and your connections
A Everything is about connections
B Let me try again, you tricky fuck
A You’ll only fuck up again
B What’s it to you?
A I couldn’t take another fuck-up
B Another fuck but not a fuck-up
A You see the connection?
B No. No ropes, no chains, no connections
A Only things
B My things and your things
A Let go of
B My things?
A All things
B Fuck me then
A In the middle of this?
B There’s no middle
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Temp work
B Never again
A Temping worked
B Not for me
A For us
B Us is a non-entity
A You and Me
B Me and You
A Lift your skirt
B I’m not wearing one
A Lift it anyway
B There
A That was nice
B Fuck you!
A The way you flashed, didn’t hold it up
B A flash fuck might grab you then
A Please
B Flash fuck, fuck in a flash
A Flash in the pan
B Quick as a flash
A Flashy
B Flash Harry
A Flash Gordon
B Savior of the Universe
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A You and me
B I was never your friend
A No-one was
B What would you call us?
A You first
B Not lovers
A Why not?
B You never loved me
A But you loved me
B Even less
A But we made love
B Fucked
A We called it making love once
B We never existed
A And love?
B Fucking, making love, it’s the name of an act
A Deep underwater
B Fuck you. Shallow fucking blowjob water
A Your clit is magnificent
B Eat it motherfucker!
A Like a small cock
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
B 19 years
A Of bliss
B Of this
A I gave you hope
B I’m full of it now
A I gave you things
B So what?
A You gave nothing
B You’re an addict
A For what?
B Anything
A Llamas?
B If a llama could give you pleasure, then yes
A Why down on pleasure?
B Your its addict
A Pleasure is good
B In moderation
A I never reached that level
B One taste and you’re off
A Off?
B Hoping never to return
A To where?
B Reality
A Deep underwater
B You had none at all until me
A Deep underwater
B You’re a fucking baby around me
A And a dreamer and a clown
B A clown first
A Then a dreamer?
B Then a baby
A A dreamer last
B You’d overdose on candy if you weren’t a dentist
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A It’s finished
B What is?
A The lamb
B The Llama?
A Walk away
B Clear me a space
A For what
B A spree. To clip my nails
A Toes or fingers?
B Both. Motherfucker
A Filing and painting?
B The whole shebang
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Will you be messy
B Afraid of fever?
A It’s gone
B It’s always gone
A Everything’s gone
B It can come back
A Comeback jinny joe
B Comeback blow job
A Bring me back an eggy-o
B Fuck your entire line
A Don’t cry
B I hate you all
A How much?
B To the 17th century
A To where we were related
B See?
A I see nothing
B France?
A Losers
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
B Magwitch
A Haversham
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
B No to it all
A Might as well be yes
B But never broken up. Intermingled.
A Let’s break it up
B You fucking dreamer
A Smile for me
B I’ll grimace if you smile
A I don’t smile
B You smiled once
A When it rained
B On my tits? No. When your father died
A Cruel cunt
B He didn’t like anyone
A He’s in heaven
B Why?
A Because I smiled
B Your little boxing gloves
A Where’s this famous grimace?
B Where’s the smile?
A Fuck it
B Fuck that
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A I smell scallions
B Your dinner
A “Where’s my dinner?!”
B Oh, darling. Forget him. He’s dead now
A Stone dead
B Stone dead
A Stones last forever
B Oh (sighs)!
A I love you
B Fucking clown
A But only your tits
B Never again
A Never again what
B I could have done much better
A Or much worse
B Then what did I do?
A You did worse AND better
B Big fucking eyes
A Bigger than your belly
B Yours. Not mine
A Mine the same
B Nothing is the same
A Clever cunt
B Your words. You…VOID!
A That’s me trying
B Well try harder
A To what?
B To be acceptable
A To whom?
B Me
A In what sense?
B I’ll settle for smell
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
B I want to scream
A You’re only saying that
B Or touch a poisonous snake
A Deep underwater
B Shallow water
A You don’t have to speak
B Curlew Cry
A But not your cry
B Cry of a curlew
A Why not your cry?
B Isn’t curlew plaintive enough?
A I can’t imagine a curlew
B Fucking liar
A You make me one
B And a clown? A baby? A dreamer?
A Cough it up
B You mean break it up
A I want to intermingle
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
B Over my dead body
A It wouldn’t matter
B Completely still?
A That would be better
B And the putrefaction?
A It might be nice
B Nice?
A Nice and disgusting
B I have a brain
A Maybe that’s the problem
B It’s in the way?
A In the way of yourself
B You mean in YOUR way
A That’s what I mean
B Say what you mean!
A Deep underwater
B Shallow forest water
A What forest
B THE forest
A Your brain?
B YOUR fucking brain
A I could fuck your brains out
B This is boring
A There’s nothing else
B We’ve been over this
A At least it’s comforting
B At least that much
A I’m sorry
B So am I
A You could have done better
B So could you
A At least we can be frank
B At least that much
A It’s not much
B It’s only weird for me
A For me too. It’s only weird.
B Are you happy?
A I was never happy
B I suspected as much
A Are you?
B Never
A I had no idea
B Now what?
(Pause)
A I could happily kill you now
B Shallow water
A Deep underwater
END
George Saitoh’s essays, fiction and poetry have appeared in Aeqai, Kyoto Journal, Orbis, Clarion and Word Riot. My plays have been performed in Tokyo and Dublin. He has a doctorate from the University of York and teach at Waseda University in Tokyo. He was born in Dublin.