64 Libretti

01 Duel of Creation

乾 Qián ||||||

I once knew an artist who was so creative
he challenged the Gods to a duel of creation. Hmm.
Well, when we got the news,
Jesus, Allah, Buddha and I drooled in anticipation.
Oh, hubris is funny.
We drew straws and I won
and I smiled like the sun and said
“Buckle your seatbelt, honey!

¡Yo soy tu Madre!
¡Chupa mis tetas!
¡Te mato si no me respetas!”

The artist played music – a breathtaking opera
he blew on a bagpipe of old water bottles. Hmm.
Sounded sort of like mice.
Jesus said “cute.” Buddha and I tried to hold in our giggles.
My patience eroded.
so I let loose a burp:
BRAP! – the man’s mind exploded!

¡Yo soy tu Madre!
¡Chupaste mis tetas!
¡Te mato si no me respetas!

I play the wind.
I play bodies of water.
The earth and the sea.
I’m so creative
I gave birth to me.

And you, pendejo.

I’ll give you your mind back if you will remember
I swallowed a sip of the ocean, my daughter. Mmm.
And from her I made you.
You are my spit. Humans are my littlest bodies of water.
You’re my water bottles.
If the earth gets too hot
to quench my thirst
I’ll drink you
instead of my daughter. Mmm.
You too are a body of water.

¡Yo soy tu Madre!
¡Chupa mis tetas!
¡Te mato si no me respetas!

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis

02 I Am Felled

坤 Kūn ¦¦¦¦¦¦

A field
is called a field
because it is a forest felled.
Poor forest.

A man
is called a man
when he gets better at doing things
than being.
Poor being.

My mind is treed-in, busy,
a forest tangled up in vines and doing,
things and looming deadlines.
But like the lichen tongues the tree,
you lick and stick and lichen you to me
until my doing self is out of hearing.

A man
becomes a field
when he finds someone to fell him,
name him,
tell him there’s no shame in clearing.

I hear you say my name,
and I am felled.
I am become a field
for you to run in.

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis

03 My Tooth

屯 Zhún ¦|¦¦¦|

Hey you, look at my tooth.
It’th looth.
That meanth I’m gonna get thome money.
Five dollarth.
Tooth fairy.
I wiggle it around
and my mom thays “Ow,
that’th thcary.”
But not to me.
I’m tough.
I’ll beat the tooth fairy up
and take her money.

Hey you, look at my tooth.
It’th looth.
That meanth I’m gonna be a big dude.
A huthler.
My uncle.
I’ll drive a big car
and the girlth thay “Woah,
that’th pimpin.”
That’th how I roll.
Looth tooth.
I’ll get my mom a new houthe
and give her money.

My uncle’th a huthler.
Got a picture o’ him in a Hummer.
He’th in the Army.
Now he’th in heaven.

Hey you, look at my tooth.
It’th looth.
That meanth I’m ‘bout to be a big dude.
My uncle.
It’th thcary.
‘Thteada growin teeth,
I’ma grow wingth
and be a tooth fairy.

(Ow.)

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis

04 Sky Sent Rain

蒙 Méng |¦¦¦|¦

Sky sent
rain first
as bait.

Out came
umbrellas,
opening
wide black mouths.

Then from every
impossible direction,
explosions of wind.

Umbrellas broke,
wings and bones
split

and litter the sidewalk,
abandoned,
some picked clean,

a massacre of umbrellas,
a massacre massacre massacre
massacre massacre massacre
massacre massacre massacre

carcasses marking
the lair of some
great beast.

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis

05 El Vendador de Agua

需 Xū ¦|¦|||

Cada madrugada
el vendedor de agua
viene a mi calle
a cantarme una opera.
Va así: Agua.

¡Ay, Señor de Agua,
que bocote tienes!
¡Que pulmones!
Hago el desayuno
en el tiempo que tomas
a cantar tu palabra. Agua.

El vendedor de agua
anda en bicicleta
con gallones y gallones
en su carrito de atrás.
Su opera de agua
derrama por la gente,
los millones y millones
de mi cuidad.

Agua es la palabra
que nunca se acaba.
Ojalá que el agua
también será así.
Ojalá que el agua
nunca se acaba
como la voz del hombre
que lo vende a mí.
Ojalaaaaguaaaaaa—

Hoy en día mi ciudad
se hizo un desierto,
un desierto de deseo y sequía.
El agua es tan caro
que ya no lo alcanzo
y el vendedor no pasa
por la calle mía.

Cada madrugada
hay un hombre loco
que viene a mi calle
a cantarme una opera.
Tiene sed. Su voz es feo.
Tiene solo un deseo.
Me pide agua.

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis

06 Diva Bottle

訟 Sòng |||¦|¦

DIVA
Is it hot in here or is it just me?

WATER BOTTLE
It’s you.

DIVA
Who said that?

WATER BOTTLE
No one.

DIVA
Who said “no one?”

WATER BOTTLE
You.

DIVA
Do you mean to say I’m talking to myself?

(WATER BOTTLE is silent.)

I said “Do you mean to say I’m talking to myself?”

WATER BOTTLE
You’re singing.

DIVA
Apparently I am.

Well whatever, it is hot in…

WATER BOTTLE
No it’s not.

DIVA
I’m getting rather sweaty.

WATER BOTTLE
That makes one of us.

DIVA
My throat is dry.

WATER BOTTLE
Try a lozenge.

DIVA
I think I need some water.

(WATER BOTTLE pretends not to notice.)

Yo quiero tomar agua.

Hey you.

WATER BOTTLE
Can I help you?

DIVA
You look like a bottle of water.

WATER BOTTLE
That’s nice.

DIVA
I’m going to drink you.

WATER BOTTLE
No you’re not.

DIVA
Yes I am.

WATER BOTTLE
No you’re not.

DIVA
Yes I…

WATER BOTTLE
No, no…

DIVA
Yes…

WATER BOTTLE
No…

DIVA
Yes yes yes.

(DIVA twists off WATER BOTTLE’s top.)

WATER BOTTLE
Nooo.
What do you want?
I’ll do anything!
I have connections.
My uncle’s a lake.

DIVA
I’m thirsty.

WATER BOTTLE
I’ll poison you.
I’ll go down the wrong pipe.
I’ll…

(DIVA drinks. WATER BOTTLE swoons.)

Woah.
I’m inside you.
That’s kind of hot.

DIVA
You’re only water.

WATER BOTTLE
You’re mostly water.

DIVA
What will people say?
We’re so different,
yet alike…

(They kiss.)

DIVA & WATER BOTTLE
Aah.

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis

07 Hello Helicopter

師 Shī ¦¦¦¦|¦

Hello Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter.
Everyone yell “Helicopter” chop chop wave wave.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chopping through the sky
above an Indian Ocean island
laid waste by a ten-foot wave wave.
We are in a helicopter looking for life
in the flood-muddy land below low.
Miracle: a lone and naked person
looks up and lifts a hand, as if to say “Hello.”

Hello Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter
Hello Hello Helicopter chop chop wave wave.

Ch-ch-chopchop closer to the wave wave man
and we see he’s not waving. No, no.
He pulls a string back and lets an arrow fly
with the force of his great wooden bow bow.
But we know the metal of our chop chop chop
will split the arrow’s shaft in half half,
so we turn our video camera on the scene
and have a helicopter belly laugh laugh:

We are in a helicopter helicopter helicopter.
Can’t stop heli-helicopter chop chop chop chop wave wave.

Arrow whims up, kima doms in,
and the man with the bow poddles duba grin.
We know fubu sah what he knew from the start:
the helicopter is our great metallic heart
blades beating chop chop, bleeding gasoline.
Arrow cleaves a question deep in the machine:

Mister Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter
must you always ch-ch-chop chop wave wave?
Mister Helicopter Helicopter Helicopter
kill the people who you came to save?
Helicopter Helicopter ch-ch-ch-ch
ch-ch-ch-ch ch-ch-ch-ch ch-ch-ch-ch
Wave.

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis

08 In the Next Life

比 Bǐ ¦|¦¦¦¦

In the next life
I will fill my body out,
occupy it fully, stand up straight
and straighten all the twisted channels
between my brain and mouth.

In the next life,
I will say the strong and daring things,
be wild enough and old enough
to love you and be loved.

In the next life,
you will claim your soul for yours,
cleanse the muttering tenants of your heart
and skin and send the naysayers somewhere
where you can’t hear their mouths.

In the next life,
you’ll decide your soul is beautiful,
is wise and worthy of yourself.
You’ll let yourself be loved.

In the next life,
we’ll stop asking “what if”
and give ourselves an answer.
Maybe you’ll be the answer
to the question of me.
Maybe I’ll be the answer
to the question of you.

In the next life,
in the next life,
is the next life
now?
In the next life,
in the next, I
want the next life
now.

Libretto by Aaron Jafferis