Monday, October 01, 2007

the bobolink



Is it a weekend afternoon? Because nothing's going on in the house of Palinode and Schmutzie. She works on the computer, he reads World War Z.

Palinode: Something's been on my mind for a while now.

Schmutzie: What's that?

Palinode: How would you defend yourself, against the bobolink?

Schmutzie: 'The' bobolink? There's only one?

Palinode: If you found yourself under attack from the bobolink, what would you do?

Schmutzie: Drop to the ground and curl up into a ball.

Palinode: Hmm... I suppose.

Schmutzie: What's wrong with that?

Palinode: I guess that's one way to keep yourself from the claws and beak of the bobolink. But don't forget you'd be fighting in a confined space.

Schmutzie: I would?

Palinode: Sure, why not?

Schmutzie: What would you do when faced with 'the' bobolink?

Palinode: I would employ my mongoose.

Schmutzie: No.

Palinode: Against the bobolink.

Schmutzie: You don't have a mongoose.

Palinode: A mongoose would do well in a confined space.

Schmutzie: Mongeese are illegal in North America.

Palinode: But I need to fight the bobolink in a confined space.

Schmutzie: How about you keep to open spaces and avoid this bobolink altogether? You know, stop going to the confined space?

Palinode: But that's... where all my... crackers... are. I'm not buying new crackers.

Schmutzie: Look, I'll go in and get the crackers.

Palinode: Yeah, right.

Schmutzie: I'll flail my arms around like a flail. The flail may be the bobolink's natural enemy.

Palinode: And the second you reach for the crackers, the bobolink will have you.

6 comments:

Friday Films said...

You two play off one another's idiosyncrasies very well (and without tears, oddly).

mathew said...

have you been reading dickinson lately?

Indigo Bunting said...

Bobolinks sound like R2D2.

palinode said...

Friday: oh, there are tears. We like to talk and cut onions at the same time.

Mathew: Yes, I've been reading Dickinson. Did you know "A Narrow Fellow In The Grass" is not about snakes, but bobolinks?

bunting: That's one aggro sounding droid you're thinking of.

Memarie Lane said...

Why be defensive? Isn't the best defense a good offense? So how would you offend a bobolink? Does he have a fat mother?

palinode said...

The best way to offend the bobolink is to make fun of his junk.