Walking on Thin Ice

KING PING & THE PARTY OF THE SECOND PART IN THE OTHER PARK

I light some candles to set a mood. Smith & I relax on the sofa and watch them burn.

“The three candles there are the Father, the Sun, and the Mostly Ghost,” he says.

“Why mostly ghost?” I ask.

“Because it’s the Holy Trinity. Father, the Sun and the Mostly Ghost, and you can’t *see* God, so it’s mostly ghost. There’s also a component of the Catholic Church changing their mind. It used to be the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. And they decided *that* was too supernatural, so they changed that to the Holy Spirit. So my *mostly ghost* refers to their Holy Spirit change.”

“So the Holy Spirit sounds more scientific?”

“Sounds less supernatural. Spirit can come from within. Ghosts come from graveyards.”

“So it’s a euphemism for superstition.”

“They’re trying to get away from their pagan roots.”

“Pure abstraction.”

“Spin.”

“Kind of like objectivism or something. Or economics divorced from holistic reality.”

* * *

“Do you think extra terrestrials have Internet?”

“Maybe we could get them to subscribe to our blog.”

“I wish there were some extraterrestrials who would take us away. You and me.”

“On a poetry tour?”

“Of the galaxy. I think I’m ready for extraterrestrial terrain. They would have fantastic drugs.”

“Then it would be my duty to research them. Their effects upon mutants, and humans. The party of the second part in the other park.”

“What does *that* mean?”

“Absolutely nothing whatsoever.”

“That’s pure poetry. No meaning, only vibe.”

“Word play. BRAIN PLAY WITH WORD. SEE IF WORD BOUNCE.”

“Ping Pong.”

“You can call me King Ping.”