Blackthorne--Scene 54

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Blackthorne

Cinemagenic Fifty-Four

Predicament

“Life is just the predicament that precedes death.”

--Henry James.

1(sound cue) banjo & harmonica.

2(medium close up) Johnny Eagle staring at Bronson:

--So what the hell is burrowed up your backside so early?

3(reverse close-up) Cash Bronson:

--Aww, we’re just looking for strays & trouble--
makers. I was told that you were out here somewhere, so 
it’s a piece of luck finding you like this. I think you & 
I have some things to discuss, Johnny.

4(three-shot) angle on Buck: Anyone want some coffee; 
tastes like sawdust, but it’s hot.--tossing the inquiry like a
rock.

5(medium close-up) Bronson turned in the saddle, his dark 
eyes narrowing: So, you would be the mysterious buffalo 
hunter who has stirred up so much shit for me in town?

6(sound cue) slide guitar riff.

7(cut to overhead crane shot) the five riders facing the two 
men.

8(sound cue) Guitar strumming & snare drum baps.

9(two-shot) angle over Bronson’s shoulder, Buck smirking

--Yeah, that would probably be me

10(medium close-up) Bronson, tight-lipped, nodding his 
head:--OK, well I’m Cash Bronson, and one of these days 
we need to palaver over your mistaken notion that you 
actually can rebuild this ramshackle ranch of yours.

11(close-up) Buck, tight-jawed:  Sure, why not? I’d be 
pleased to jaw a bit with the one-eyed jack in these parts.

12(two-shot) Thor sat up tall, stretched & drawled: 
Not today, hombres. Fuck your coffee & fuck you. So 
tell them what we want, big brother.

13(hold the shot) angle over Thor’s shoulder, Bronson, his 
tone approaching a growl--Just sit on that itch, boy; then
returning his gaze to the two men afoot in front of him--My 
brother makes a valid point though. It is possible that this 
is not a friendly visit.

14(medium close-up) the Eagle: Would you call it an 
unfriendly one? as he rolled his throwing knife in his big
hands, an old Colt prominent on his hip.

15(sound cue) Indian seed rattle & branch flute trills.

16(two-shot) angle over Johnny’s shoulder, Bronson:

--It could be--it could be; kind of depends on you fellows.

17(cut to close-up) Buck: Is that a fact, how so?

18(two-shot) angle on Bronson--I don’t know where to

begin with you, big man--so let’s talk to Johnny first.

19(medium close-up) the Eagle: So, let’s get to it.

20(three shot) angle on Bronson: Come to find out

you had a big misunderstanding recently with my

auction manager over some wages?

21(close-up) Johnny: You know that pinche gordo had

it coming--that baboso doesn’t bring you any honor.

22(sound cue) saxophone & guitar.

23(medium close up) Bronson: So you gave it to him?

24(close-up) Johnny: Hell, no--Sheriff Hop showed up

& stopped the dance.

25(two-shot) angle on Bronson: You know, that’s not 

the way I heard it.

26(medium close-up) cut to Buck: That’s the way it was.

27(cut to medium wide shot) over the stiff backs of the 
five riders, with Buck & Johnny facing them.

28(series of jump-cut close-ups) Bronson, the Eagle, 
Thor, Buck, & the three cowhands.

29(sound cue) harmonica, saddles creaking, horses 
shifting hooves, & a dog growling.

30(close-up) bacon burning & smoking in a 
frying pan.

31(medium wide shot) Buck casually bent down, 
keeping Thor in his periphery, then lifted up the
blackened pan out of the low orange flames, & sat it
on a flat rock.

32(reverse the shot) Buck & Johnny with backs to the 
camera; --Bronson: Sorry about your vittles--straightening
up in the saddle, & folding his arms. Truth be told, 
Graff is a minor problem, & I choose to let you slide--
because when it comes to horse busting, I like your style; 
but get this clear, if you want wages from me, You will have 
to find a way to get along with Graff.

33(sound cue) guitar strumming.

34(two-shot) angle on Johnny, his features stoic, not respon-
ding.--Bronson: That brings us to a more serious problem--
that we need to deal with today; right now.

35( medium close-up) Buck: And what might that be?

--Bronson: I think that you boys need to know that you’re on 
my land.

36(sound cue) castanets & coronet.

Glenn Buttkus

OK, buckaroos, this is the last of the Review; from here on the episodes

will be new. Thanks to all the patient readers who trudged through all

54 scenes--and to the dozens of you who called for this review--you

are welcome. I am going on a three week road trip to TX starting next

week, so the saga continues after Thanksgiving. Hugs.

Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub OLN

Wallspeak

image by glenn buttkus

Wallspeak

“Even paradise could become a prison if one had

enough time to take notice of the walls.”

--Morgan Rhodes.

There are a few of us left,

     deep in the inner cities--walls

           on ancient buildings, walls of brick,

                     that back in the 20’s & 30’s were 

           decorated with billboard art, hand

     painted advertisements, many 

over the top of others, now

resembling a decopasge,

or several layers of peeling

wallpaper, just

                           part of a musty past that did not

                  have the media options to boost sales

          & public exposure. I’m still shocked to hear 

  that most people spend 12 bucks to see a single

movie and then have to sit through a tedious myriad

of television commercials on the sainted silver screen

                        while suffering the indignation of having

                        a third of the audience playing with their

                        smart phones throughout the feature.

I am the north wall of the exalted Pythian Temple, 
crumbling bravely on Broadway in the theater district in
Tacoma. I face a parking lot, where once a department store
stood shoulder to shoulder with me. My aching bricks are
festooned with fading overlapping ads for cigars, jewelry, a
painless dentist, Turkish cigarettes, & the New York &
Washington Outfitting Co, where “a dollar a week will dress you”, 
sad smile, or at least it would in 1924.

The Temple used to house over a hundred members, rich

businessmen (all fat white cats--no Jews or ethnic minor
-ities), the Donalds of their day, rivaling the Masons &
Kiwanis. There are less than twenty members at present, old
men in moldy double-breasted suits, huddled in dark corners
smoking pungent cigars--while hybrid & electric cars
back into me, smashing my ankles, graffiti swaths cover a
section of me by the alley, drunks urinate on me after dark,
& most folks just pass by hurriedly without greeting or
acknowledging me. Such is the plight of most century old
walls.

I realize that I have a fateful date with a behemoth

wrecking ball soon. There’s a rumor that following

my unceremonious demolishment the pesky parking

lot adjacent to me will double in size; terrific--then

folks who work downtown can cough up 20 bucks

a day to park their jalopies on my proud bones. Yes.

progress can be both trollop & succubus.

Pioneer buildings

are rarely saved by those who

need a place to park. 

Glenn Buttkus

Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub