homestead:

Theatre of Words

T h e

Spiders

a n d t h e

Po m eg r a n a t e

Tree

Noël ChristianNyrang Creek

2010

The Spiders and the Pomegranate Tree

homestead: Theatre of Words

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There was once a place halfway down the main street of a townshipwhere a garden was allowed to grow behind a wooden fencebetween a forgotten stable and a run down sort of pubwhere many men had come and gone for work or for their pleasure

2 = II

but since those days the yardage had been shut up and neglectedand grass grew on the pavements and there were Freesias in the lawnand a scattering of rubbish that used to be a shade-houseand a single pomegranate tree growing into tanglesand abundant in its fruiting and all flourishing and wild.

fruit & flourish & wild

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When the fruit was in its season the insects there were busyand the birds from distant bushland came to gather round and feedand at other times the creatures that blew upon the breezeslanded there in settlements to hide from the rain and the coldand feed from off the droppings that the birds left on the branchesso the year was all of movement and everything was livingand noisy in the ignorance of the people of the town.

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Down the trunk where the fallen leaves made up their deepest bundlesin the thickest of the tangles and just above the rootstocka populace of spiders had their shelter from the sunlightand returned there after hunting when the dawn was getting near.

They were glossy in their features and fat and full of fibreand ran up and down the branches like the energies of fireand their eyes were points and brilliant and lavish in the moonlightand the fur upon their bodies had the loveliness of sky.

They never grouped together for they understood their natureand in their silent language remained cautious of each otherbecause they were always hungry and came rapidly to bitebut they were surrounded by food with so much space around themthat they turned away from violence when they crossed each other’s pathand chose a peaceful way of life and they kept their manners nice

and so things were continued through the change of years and fashionsuntil one who was not young nor yet older than the othersbut given to wander further and to watch the rising sunclimbed out of the tree and went to regard it from a distanceand ask of it many questions to which it did not respond.

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After this adventure they were all nervous and afflictedand everyone was restless and was anxious about the treebecause now they knew that they could not frighten or affect itand everything they relied upon was out of their control.

turetheywereallnervoewasrestlessandwasanewthattheycouldnotfrieduponwasoutoftheir

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They developed an academy of history and hopeand came up with many theories and different propositionsand alternatives and actions and models and predictions until they were concluded that they must construct a futureand never submit to anything unless it was themselves

so they would build a vessel or a craft for distant traveland go out very far away until in the end they founda tree they could intimidate that would meet with their demands.

IX

There was once a place halfway down the main street of a township where a garden was allowed to grow behind a wooden fence between a forgotten stable and a run down sort of pub where many men had come and gone for work or for their pleasure but since those days the yardage had been shut up and neglected and grass grew on the pavements and there were Freesias in the lawn and a scattering of rubbish that used to be a shade-house and a single pomegranate tree growing into tangles and abundant in its fruiting and all flourishing and wild. When the fruit was in its season the insects there were busy and the birds from distant bushland came to gather round and feed and at other times the creatures that blew upon the breezes landed there in settlements to hide from the rain and the cold and feed from off the droppings that the birds left

The space ship was large and comfy on an armature of twigswith a hull of bracts and parts of leaves tied off with lengths of weband feathers both of red and green from lorikeets and parrotsput out along the midline to show the starboard and show port.

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on the branches so the year was all of movement and everything was living and noisy in the ignorance of the people of the town. Down the trunk where the fallen leaves made up their deepest bundles in the thickest of the tangles and just above the rootstock a populace of spiders had their shelter from the sunlight and returned there after hunting when the dawn was getting near. They were glossy in their features and fat and full of fibre and ran up and down the branches like the energies of fire and their eyes were points and brilliant and lavish in the moonlight and the fur upon their bodies had the loveliness of sky. They never grouped together for they understood their nature and in their silent language remained cautious of each other because they were always hungry and came rapidly to bite

On the inside it was lined with the softest of their spinningand chambers and compartments for the protection of their eggsand bits of bark to climb upon and places to stop and sleepand a gantry down the centre so the steersmen all could steer.

Eleven

The sails stuck out like wings in the arrangement of a fruit flyand the rudder was a little tail that wriggled up and downand when it had been finished and it met the proper standardsthe spiders all withdrew inside and they waited for the wind.

Page No: (#) twelve (12) XII = an even

dozen

The ship had been assembled on the tip of the topmost branchand deployed for instant take-off once the door was stitched in tightbut the branch was very springy and the weight from fore to aftwas uneven and haphazard and when the spiders enteredthe ship was rocked from side to side and yawed on its foundationsso they all believed that they were already up and flyingand they were quick to seal the door and gather at the cablesand pull and tug and move the wings for direction through the air.

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Later on when the wind came up it buffeted the structureand the motion grew dramatic though the ship stayed in the tree.

It swooped and rose and pitched about to the limits of the branchand the spiders grew excited and ran about in numbersand counted how the days went past by the sunlight on the hull.

the number fourteen

They told each other stories and they changed their generationsand wondered where they all would come when the flight was at its end

and they were getting hungry but they all felt great and nobleand were proud of their achievement but the space was getting small.

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1$6

On the outside of the garden the town was being managedand everything was fresh and clean with good money changing hands.

There was traffic on the railway on the far side of the streetand cars and trucks on many roads and machines up in the skyand all the noise of industry from far around the districtgrew louder and more busy as the economy got large.

this is the seventeenth pagethis is the seventeenth page

And new owners took the pub and it was designed and fittedfor rooms and spas and coffee and for designer-label foodand they restored the garden to be lovely in the eveningswith tables on the pavement and a more modern type of grass.

a more modern type of grass

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The pomegranate tree is still there and carefully tendedto grow into an elegance at the centre of it all

and the fruit is good and often used as garnish on the plates

garnish on the plates

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e l e g a n c e a t t h e c e n t r e o f i t a l l

and pretty birds and butterflies are welcome when they visitto remain a while but not too long as creatures passing through

so the place is always vibrant and a picture to be seenand people come for weddings and to have their photos taken

and to make up happy parties to drink coffee in the shade.

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last page No: 21

The spaceship became nothing but a shred of rag and fragmentswith the bodies of dead spiders caught up in the strands of weband it was thrown with rubbish on a pile beside the alleyand the wind that came to scatter it has blown itself away.

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ofWords