Liferaft
Question 10:
Says who?
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She can't keep her mouth shut  :Explorer: Katherine
Relf-Cañas


A play for:
Narrator
Interrupters 1, 2 & 3
Regular
Penseur
She (a non-speaking part)

Narrator Her hangout is a coffee house.
Interrupter 1 "Like a description she read in Fitzgerald's novel. Oh, what was the name of that book..."
Interrupter 2 "She underlined it. Just the line which read: 'each table a little confessional'."
Interrupter 3 "Oh, that girl! I thought I saw her walking through town."
Narrator She pushes the walk button, waits for the traffic to clear.
She walks past a few tables
full of people
and goes inside,
comes out with her coffee, sits down.
Legs crossed, elbow on table, covers her mouth with
her hand.

At places on either side are two men.
To the right, is a regular who turns,
greets her with a nod of the head.

On the left is a fresh face--a man.
Elbow on knee, head sunk against the bent fingers
of hand.

Interrupter 2 "A pose reminding her of Rodin's Le Penseur."
Narrator ...who in seconds straightens up.
The regular lights a cigarette, is bored...
Interrupter 3 "to tears."
Narrator The other guy glances over at her.
Thinks maybe he'll start...
Interrupter 1 "a chat."
Narrator She, looking receptive
Interrupter 1 "enough."
Interrupter 3 "When she opens her mouth to talk, elsewhere
some thoughts follow crooked paths, step over
crumpled middles and beginnings and ends like
uncrossed t's."
Penseur
(aside) 		"Wow! She has a mind like a whip.
The way she talks, it's like cascading
particles. All photons and light. Particle physics.
I've got it. Where did I put that book?"
Penseur
(to her) 		"I've never heard anyone with a dialogue like yours. It's amazing.
You're constantly 'pom-pom-pom'. You're exercising your...
That's all going through your head?"
Narrator The regular decides to make himself more visible.
Regular "Yes, that's all going through her head.
There are a few things you might want to hear before you continue..."
Narrator Might as well thinks Le Penseur to himself.
while the Regular goes on and they all listen in with
dramatic gestures (intentionally studied) and poses
to add emphasis to his diatribe.
Regular "She can't keep her mouth shut, but you're not
obligated to listen. If you do, it might take some
effort; you have to get used to the way she talks.
And like a child, she really wants attention.
She doesn't make life easy for you.

It's not a lecture. She's not behind a podium, but
she sure has a lot to say. She's not stingy with her words.

It isn't a court. She is no judge with a gavel. No one
has heard her say: 'Order in the court!'
She'll grab you with her authority, words.

She starts out. 'Do you want to hear something funny?' or 'Do you want to hear something interesting?'
But then what follows isn't
necessarily either of those.
She also says 'in any case'
and, surprisingly, 'cool.'

'Tell me,' says she. Then
comes a sentence
that runs on
you can't
quite figure
out what
she's
asking
you.
Oh
and
don't
expect
her
to
wait
for
an
answer
because...

Narrator They all take a sip of their coffee.
Interrupter 1 "None of us ever do."


 Sites of Related Interest

Shyness.com
Confessions at Salon
Confessions

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