Monday, February 21, 2011

Oblong Satellite

One day, at Saw Smith Elementary School, all of the kids gathered together in the gymnasium. A man stood in the center of the room. Many, many instruments surrounded him. Some were hollow pieces of wood with strings drawn across them, but others were shiny twisted pieces of metal. The man came toward Boy Blackberry and showed him a shiny piece of twisted metal. Boy Blackberry saw that there were only three places to put his fingers. Boy Blackberry liked this instrument, and the sort of sound it made. It reminded him more of putting colors on paper than of playing with Legos. So, Boy Blackberry chose to learn how to play the twisted piece of metal with only three places for his fingers.

That very same day, the twin of the man who came with instruments to Saw Smith visited Nickel Lane Elementary School. This twin showed Boy Evergreen the same instruments Boy Blackberry had seen. But because Boy Evergreen had seen many hollow pieces of wood with strings drawn across them in his life, he was not captivated by the twin’s at all. Instead, a black piece of plastic that had more places to put his fingers than a Guitar caught his eye. Intrigued, Boy Evergreen decided he would learn how to play this piece of plastic, using a thin slice of reed.

These two instruments, along with the demands of their schools, left less and less time for Boy Evergreen and Boy Blackberry to play with Legos. No matter though, the boys found that playing instruments, and making the sounds of playing with Legos, or putting colors on paper, made the pinecones in their heads grow just the same. The boys shifted the focus of their gaze from the Sun of Legos, to a far brighter, but more distant Sun. They outstretched their arms, and opened their hands as their band instructors chanted in unison: “Me-You-Sick, Me-You-Sick, Me-You-Sick, Me-You-Sick”.