Sunklands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_I_Lay_Dying_%28novel%29

“I gave him this novel.”

“Addie next to Good Grief. Sinclair nearby,” he said, pointing.

“Eastport,” I added, pointing as well. “Boundary.”

(flips pages)

“But of course this is the one I’m most interesting in,” I said. I pointed again. “Foote”, I said, drawing the magnification out. “Grace, Glen Allan, Panther Burn.” “Foote,” I reinforced, “Then Heads on the other side.”

He looked with me. I also thought of the lyrics, “from my head down to my toes,” as 2 of the 4 Beatles — John and Paul perhaps meaningfully — fall flat, head and feet on same level, as in a corpse.

“Helm may also refer to the helm of a ship,” I said, still looking at the northern part of the same county. “This is the body of Addie.”

“Or someone at the helm,” Hucka Doobie chipped in. “A boss, a captain.”

“Helm could also refer to helmet.”

“Or helmets. Helmets cover heads, like in a fireman’s helmet. Like in a football helmet.”

“Here?” he asked. It was a sly observation by him concerning me.

“What do you think?” I replied.

“Feet (pointing)… death… red ruby slippers. red fireman’s helmet. Fits (!)”

How observant, I thought. Like talking to myself. I smiled.

“Well, maybe the big green lined log of the picture is the Mississippi River itself… herself. Miss Tippy.

He kept looking at the picture, and then started pointing once more. “Dorothy has no bottom of her legs, donated to Day Ravies.”

“He might still show up,” I added hopefully but doubtfully at the same time.

“Elton also has ruby slippers or ruby sparkly shoes,” Hucka Doobie observed.

“They cross a perpendicular log to the green lined log,” Roger tacked on. “Maybe a tributary of the Mighty Mississippi?”

“Maybe all three logs — main logs of the picture — are representations of the Mississippi. Fireman Peanut balances on the one further back. Ruby slippered Day Ravies is crushed by the one perpendicular to the other two, and the Elton John cross, again in ruby slippers the 3rd more in the foreground. The same one that cuts off or obscures Dorothy’s own slippered feet.”

“Elton is certainly in better shape than Day Ravies here. He is able to cross atop the log. It acts as no real obstacle in his journey. Peanut also seems content, perched upon a parallel log in the background. His head is covered with a red helmet, but he has no feet. Elton and Dorothy provide his feet.”

“It’s Peanut’s Big Adventure after all,” Hucka Doobie chimed in. “Part Deu.”

“Two.” Roger shrugged at me.

—–

“Everyone has only one head but also almost everyone has 2 feet and not just a foot. Foote.”

(to be continued?)