Sitting sober in a local brewery, refusing to ingest alcohol or spend money as a sort of a self-sacrificial rite, Kelly Janae puts her pen to paper…
Part I
What started as anxiety
Was kick started with kindness
A curious neighbor inquiring about my prose
I wonder if people know how good it feels to have your art acknowledged?
I only wonder because I can tell you — sometimes that is the only thing that keeps us going
Artists, that is.
Which is, in fact, relevant
Because I am only in this crowded place to support my friends, the musicians making the chaotic ambiance rather tolerable
Within chaos, there must always be a point of stillness
And it is this point that I am currently hanging onto
Gripping forcefully, actually
Life decisions amidst deep personal change; health issues that need tending; a cat whose ear-bleeding meows literally sent me into a nervous breakdown last week
Chaos.
If we are all at different points in our lives, then you can find mine in the middle of a tornado
And there you will find me too, whirling violently through the natural disaster of my life
Accompanied by the debris of my dark and delusional psyche
Shouting “weeeeeeeee”
(Except not ceremoniously)
Yes, I know I look ridiculous in here
In this tornado
But so do you
Standing so close to a tornado, and all.
How about you mind your own business
Or it’ll suck you in too
Part II
In my opinion, the best seat in the house is always the furthest back corner, facing the entire crowd of the establishment
Bonus points if the color of the walls matches your outfit.
Part III
Why am I sober, you may ask?
Because I have a gluten sensitivity, thanks for asking.
And while we are at it, yes I am a vegan
Aside from the dairy and eggs and occasional fish, of course.
And I count my calories a bit too laboriously
And I can never quite stay up for more than an hour after drinking even the smallest amount of beer
Besides, who likes drinking alone?
Trust me, there is no need to further exasperate the already depressive state of my being.
Part IV
PSA:
Situational Awareness.
Carry on…
Part V
Okay, let’s play a game.
Who is the drunkest person in the room?
My money’s on the lady trying to summon people off their bar stools for a partner dance.
Status: so far, no one has accepted.
Update: she left.
Debrief: that was anticlimactic.
Part VI
Alcohol is the great social equalizer
Which makes me either the best or the worst person in this room.
…
I choose the former.
Part VII
We use words to define other words
How stupid is that?
Did you know that the Aborigine speak without speaking?
Or rather, they just understand the other without needing any verbal explanation at all
I have been told by very reputable sources that higher consciousness beings communicate in similar ways
Seems most efficient.
Almost as efficient as not interacting with anyone else at all
Almost…
fin
Ethereal Ecology 