Look Ma, I'm a Writer!

for the job interview
was short and straightforward:

Name all prime numbers
between one (1) and one hundred (100)
from the top of your head.

She proceeded to answer,
“Three,” trying to
“Five,” figure out if this was
“Seven,” some sort of trick question–

(She skipped 1! thought the examiner,
a good sign, because
no one else noticed
the use of “between”.)

–“Eleven,” eventually realizing
“Thirteen,” that it wasn’t.

“Really,” rolling her eyes
as she stood up to leave,
feeling insulted that
such a question
was being asked of her.
But before she had made
an effective exit, the examiner’s
words stopped her momentarily.

“You’re hired.”



circa 4 Jul 2015

These are the words
of the Honourable Judge
in the case
People v. Philippine Writers Bandwagon.

It is quite
disappointing to note that
despite coming from
similar backgrounds,
similar interests,
and similar philosophies,
all of you
cannot seem to
face this Court
as a united front,
especially regarding
a crime as
seemingly universal
as rape.

Therefore,
you the jury
are hereby ordered
to cease all further
action in the case
before us for failing
to reach a unanimous
verdict, and for
failing to achieve
unity and solidarity
in these trying times.

So ordered.



*For T & T and the 26th Fellows

Before it was shut down, the Amicus Project was the research and development project whose main objective was to create a wormhole, a portal between the two galaxies of Acquintas and Amicus. It was supposed to be remembered as the bridge that cut intergalactic travel time down to milliseconds. Instead, the Amicus Project would go down in history for the reason it was shut down─the glitch.


BACKGROUND:

Acquintas Nebula
Designation: Galaxy, Third Class
Star systems: 5
Inhabited: 3
Major planets: Acquintasia, Deluzian I, Phasmid-XG
Dominant species: Human
Dominant race: Acquintan

Amicus Galactic Federation
Designation: Autonomous Galaxy, First Class
Star systems: 23
Inhabited: 17
Major planets: Amicus Primus, Amicus Secundus, Dabarquad V
Dominant species: Human
Dominant race: Amici


* * * * *


The Amici imposed
very strict requirements
regarding entry into their system.
Generally, third-class galactic citizens
were considered by the Amici as
a lower species, sub-human,
infinitely inferior.

In selecting the Guinea Pig
for the Amicus Project,
three factors were
taken into consideration.

First: Genetics.
The Guinea Pig must be
of Amici descent.
Second: Intelligence.
In the event of a succesful crossover,
the Guinea Pig must be equipped
with the same intellectual abilities
as any ordinary Amici citizen
to be able to integrate fully
into this new system.
And third: Expendability.
In the event of a failure,
the Guinea Pig must present
no significant loss
to both galactic governments.

After an extensive selection process,
the Amicus Project selected
for their Guinea Pig
Acquintan prisoner number 8997161,
for satisfying all the requirements.
It was agreed that
as long as the Guinea Pig
successfully crossed the portal,
dead or alive,
he would be honoured
as an Amici citizen.

Finally, on the
day of the crossing,
a hundred billion Acquintans
tuned in to watch
the historic event.
But as soon as
the Guinea Pig
entered the portal,
it happened.

The glitch.

At the exact moment
the Guinea Pig was
inside the wormhole,
the power surged,
causing all the equipment
to flicker and reboot.
And in that split-second,
the Guinea Pig disappeared.
He went into the portal,
but he never came out of it.

It has been theorised that
the wormhole could not handle
the mass of a human body,
which caused the wormhole
to collapse on itself,
obliterating the Guinea Pig,
disintegrating him
down to his atoms.

Others believe that
the Guinea Pig did not
disappear. They believe
he actually went
somewhere, to that place
which was neither
Acquintas nor Amicus.

The Guinea Pig
of the Amicus Project,
Acquintan prisoner number 8997161
is believed to have gone
all the way back to
the beginning,
back to when he was
nothing.



8 Nov 2013

A woman was crying
over a pregnancy test kit result –
one line –
considering her age
(she turned 42 last week),
over ten years married
and still childless

while from another bathroom window
one floor above

a woman was crying
over a pregnancy test kit result ––
two lines – –
considering her age
(she turns 22 next Tuesday),
unmarried
with four children
from three fathers.



*conceived circa Jan 2017
written 30 May 2019