the great elephant

(book dated 2/27/94)

the great elephant stalks the wild naked
grasslands by following the miandering
path left by a flying car-load of singing
people with suit cases hoping to catch the
next flight to new-york.

he comes to the edge of the airport
parking lot with a dazed expression
as he watches a set of blinking colorful
lights fly up and away toward the west
and he finds the car that carried
the singing people and a group of other
dazed and stunned elephants has
already arrived on the scene.

on the front seat of the car, a brown
paper bag lies open revealing some
scattered photographs of reflections
of elephants in lakes and streams
in the wild naked grasslands.
a message hastily scrawled on the
back of a receipt reads "go to
gate 17"

so all the elephants blow their trunks
in a symphony of french horns and tubas
in one big "Honk!" and they all
walk casually trying to look as
inconspicuous as possible, to gate 17