Friday 9 August 2013

The Community Meeting

The First Community Meeting

Hello All,

How is everyone tonight? Good? That is good; but you should not be good, you should all be feeling down right awful! Are we not all gathered here because of an injustice? Do we not meet because we all wish to be bothers of the same congregation? Do we not all hold the same belief that we are being wronged by the world around us? If any of you say 'no' then politely step to the side of the room - I will not bar the curious, but I will not allow anyone to sit as brothers when we are foreigners to one another’s ideals. Will anyone walk to the side of the room? Will they? No? Then that is good, for we are a congregation wishing to form as a result of what has been happening outside of these walls - we may all be brothers, and we may all be able to see each other as equals here tonight;

The world has changed my friends. The world has changed. The balance of the world has shifted to form a slope. All of us sit here as victims of this alteration, and we all sit as ones who have touched the earth of Hell.


What has happened to the world we once knew? It seems it has been disappearing and leaving us broke and needy, or broken and in need of faith. Many people would call us the devil - however we know who we are; we are not the devil or today, we are who we were yesterday and the day before, and we are who we will wish to be tomorrow - we are ourselves, and we are humanity;

What has happened to the world? I could tell you what has happened to the world, but I would rather discuss what has happened to me. Who here does not wish to discuss what has happened to them - raise your hands please. [Pause]. See? Everyone wishes to say something about what has happened to them, and that means something for that means that we have all been wronged and become victims; we shall all shake the hand of a friend tonight.

We have been wronged. Perhaps not in exactly the same way, or at the same time, however we have been wronged. Paul had his property damaged two days ago - his house had been set on fire, his grass burned, his dogs shot; Anne had her clothes stolen, her car set on fire, her windows rocked; Greg had his garden gnomes smashed into smithereens; they are all victims of the violence that has been on the rise. Where has this violence come from? The sky? No. From the community itself.


We have seen the community walk on by, but in this current crisis it has been stopping. People have stopped to create war, and our walls are burning ladies and gentlemen; our walls are burning; It is a dear shame for our walls were once considered strong, and they have proved to be weak. Our walls which were created during and before the modern world have been turned into tissue paper as we have been called weak for relying on walls for so long.

Are we weak? Are we weak because we have relied on a wall to keep us safe? No. A wall once was a portion of pride, they were our pride in the creation of the better man, we decorated our walls and showed our friends and family our walls, and we were mighty proud of our walls. We have no need to feel shamed over being threatened; we have never needed to be protected from our neighbour for we have always been of the one mind - to cherish our walls, our way of life, our community, and treat one another as equals as we live for the better way of life.

However the world has changed. The world has changed. We feel threatened as people put fire on our cars, stomp on our lawns, and put bullets through our windows. Our women feel scared when they hang their clothes on the clothes line, our children feel scared when they collect the newspaper. Who has been making us feel scared? Ourselves? No. There are other people in the community that have risen to make us feel scared, and we have been shaking as they have driven across our streets in their cars.


Who are these people? Are they our children? Let us hope not. We have clung on to only the youngest of children and let our elder children explore the world. I would spit on the boots of anyone who has come here to feel strong after having had given birth to a child capable of doing what these other people have been doing to us and our society. I would offer to give myself a great wounding if my child were amongst those who have been doing wrong to us and our society. I do believe these people are unjust and are like the devil in the way they wish to create mutiny in order to gain respect. They may not be the devil, or even be related to the devil, however they are like the devil in the way they have been acting and reacting to an otherwise blossoming society.

We may not know who these people are exactly, but it is safe to assume who they could be. There are traits in humanity, traits of a persons skin that gives us direction in who they could be. I have not once seen my child amongst those who have been unruly, and I hope that I never will. So who are these people? Who are they? Are they like me? You? Have any of you seen you as you have looked out your windows and seen a speeding car? Have any of you seen you as you have glimpsed at a person with a gun aimed at your house? I have spoken to a handful of you, and all have said 'no'. We have been seeing foreigners, those who are unlike us, but like us only in the way we seem to live in the one society, in the one country.

Who have we seen? Do we need to be educated? Who have you seen? You can say who you have seen. Let us all look to one another and see if we can see our enemy; look to one another and see if you can see your enemy. [Pause;] Can anyone see their enemy? No? That is because our enemy is not here, they are foreign, and that means a lot.


Foreigners are visitors to our country, they are those from another country, they are strangers, they are slaves, they are anyone but those who admire communities. Who hates communities such as ours? Anyone who is not us, and there are many strangers who are not us.

The world is on the divide as it introduces its wars, its enemies, equal rights. The world that we know will crumble if we do not protect ourselves from these rising enemies. The wars are showing us our enemies on our televisions - they wish to take over our country and make our country theirs, and if our country is theirs then we shall not survive; the world is showing us our enemies in our newspapers - they are the robber, the kidnapper, the killer and they do not wish us to survive; equal rights have been making our slaves more proud and prominent, and they have been eager to demolish us for having had ever called them slave; these and travellers are our enemies.

Who has set our lawns on fire? Joe said a dark man. Who has set our houses on fire? Peter said a dark man. Who has set our clothes lines on fire? Mary said a dark man. The dark man has been showing their faces too many times, and it can be assumed that the dark man has come to take down our walls and demolish our community.


Is there anyone who can raise their hands to offer any other type of human being to add as our enemy? Has anyone seen anyone other then a dark man at their front gates? If so please raise your hands and tell us who you have seen. [Pause;] No one has raised their hand. That means a lot. [Pause;] Now let those who have seen a dark man raise their hands. [Pause;] Everyone. That means we have found our enemy.

We will now be able to feel safer as we protect ourselves from the dark man. We shall unify and offer our numbers and homes to protect one another as we move to guard ourselves against the dark man. The dark man shall be our enemy now that we know that he is not our friend, and we shall serve our community and protect ourselves by offering one another help and hope. We will get to know one another and never allow each other to be alone - by doing this we shall protect ourselves from our enemy and grow until he knows that we will put out his fire, rebuild bullet holed walls, and keep safe our community before we spray his lawn with fire, put bullets in his walls, until he has no home amongst society, until he knows he will never have a home amongst society for as long as we are here to protect our society from needless destruction.


Congregation

Ebony looked at the congregation - everyone was white, with white or blonde hair. She grew scared all of a sudden as she realised that the war had taken away everyone who looked something other the white and pale. Ebony fingered her brown hair tendrils and she gulped, she hoped the village hadn't turned into the KKK.

“Hello friends;” said the speaker whose name was Rod Trowel. “I see a lot of faces new and old, friends and new friends; how has your morning been?” he asked in a light-hearted tone.

The congregation laughed - Ebony faked her laugh and smiled to the person next to her; she then sat as everyone else sat and she readied herself to listen to the service.

“My morning has been terrible;” told Rod as he glared at the crowd before him. “I saw a dead snake on the road;” he muttered.

The crowd gushed false-anguish as they waited for Rod to continue on.

“I picked it up, I put it on the grass, and I gutted it;” told Rod as he glared. “I gutted it and all these little snakes tumbled out, and I helped them to a nearby dam where they wriggled away;” he muttered. “That snake had died but her children will live on;” he said.

The congregation clapped. Rod nodded.

“I know snakes are regarded as terrible creatures, however I didn't put those little lives down. I said be yourself, farewell, and don't venture close to roads like your mother once did;” he added.

The congregation laughed.

“I said farewell;” told Rod. “I had blessed those little creatures and they slithered away as though they were already adults when they were just seconds old. I called them blessings and let them go. Was I wrong?” he asked the congregation.

The crowd looked the Rod unable to answer.

“Did I chose the right hand?” asked Rod as he glared at the crowd.

Again no one answered.

“No one can tell me if I was right or wrong, and why? Because no one likes the snake;” he muttered. “Snakes kill when they are grown, they swallow things alive, they bite our children when they play; and here was I, telling little snakes to wriggle away after their mother has died;” he added. “This is a decent subdivision;” he told. “If the snake was not hated then perhaps all of you would have cheered;” he declared. “But none of you could raise any hand for or against what I did;” he added. “I let our enemy wriggle away, and who knows how they will live;” he added. “I let a killer wriggle away, and who knows what it may kill;” he said. “I was wrong to have let them out of their nest where they would have otherwise suffocated as their mother rotted;” he declared. “I have filth still on my hands, and I think if only I hadn't touched the snake would they smell like soap still;” he added. “I touched a killer and let it go, and I feel dirty;” he declared. “That is why I had a bad morning;” he said as he glared at the crowd. “I feel guilty;” he declared. “I acted without afterthought and here I am telling you that I feel dirty over what I did;” he said. “I don't feel clean;” he added. “But it was my decision; I let it in, and I pay the penalty over having had done the right and wrong thing;” he declared. “You all shall someday make such a decision, and what will you do?” he asked. “You will continue on;” he said. “Even when you feel bad you shall continue on and wait for the feeling to pass; that is all you can do;” he said.

The crowd clapped and Ebony saw that there were some frowns. She wanted to clap but she was confused herself - she wasn't sure what it meant to have done the right or wrong thing; however as Rod looked to her she felt as though she may have been the outcome of a moment of bad decision and she hung her head. Rod rolled his eyes and then he spoke.

“I see a child!” he told the crowd. “I see it and it burns my eyes as Satan burns my soul;” he said.

The crowd cheered and raised their hands up high.

“Raise the child up to the roof!” he cried out before the crowd cheered and stomped their feet. “Feel better?” he asked. “I do;” he smiled before the crowd cheered again. “If only it were so easy to pass over all of our regrets then we could call a meeting and there would be no regrets!” he added. “We would be free!” he declared.

Again the crowd cheered and clapped, and Rod smiled. Ebony laughed as she clapped, and a tear dribbled out of her eye. She felt as though she were the child, she had been raised to the roof, and she felt shame.

“Do not feel ashamed;” told Rod as though he could read her mind.

Ebony looked to Rod and saw he spoke to the crowd, however she felt as though he spoke especially to her.


After the meeting was over Ebony walked home. Home was a good fifteen minute trek down a long dusted road, and the heat overhead pounded down onto her like an iron. Ebony guessed it was fifty degrees, and she felt her body sweat until it dribbled off her fingers.

A car pulled over and stopped. Ebony gasped, she hadn't even heard the engine. Ebony walked past the item and she saw Rod inside. He smiled.

“Get in, I'll give you a lift home;” he invited.

Ebony wanted to say 'no', but she knew she was safe in the car of such a community minded person.


However Ebony was wrong in her assumption - as soon as she had hopped in Rod turned the car around and drove her away from the direction she had head. Ebony glared at Rod as she grew glum, she wasn't sure why he hadn't wanted to drop her home but she had a feeling that she had been noticed for the wrong reason.

“Are you okay?” asked Ebony.

“Me? Sure;” told Rod as he glared at the road. “Never felt better;” he added.

“Have you met another snake?” asked Ebony as she glared at Rob in a questioning tone.

Rob looked to Ebony and smiled - however he didn't not laugh, and his smile spooked her until she chilled inside. Ebony shrivelled inside, however she did not want to shy.

“I would like to get out;” she declared. “You're not driving the right way;” she added.

“Is that so?” asked Rod as he sped up the car. “Well if you feel brave you might like to jump for it;” he retorted.

Ebony looked out the windows and saw trees as they turned into blurs. She couldn't jump, she had no skill, no knowing; it wasn't safe.

“Let me out;” she pleaded, however Rod was a mile away and he drove down the highway fast as dust sprayed the tyres and windscreen.


Rod stopped outside of a chapel and then he raced to the passenger side and took Ebony out. He grabbed her and escorted her to the chapel in a rough manner. Ebony wanted to struggle to get away, however she couldn't; so she walked with Rod until she was inside of the building.

Rod was welcomed with a short applause, and he smiled to all. Ebony looked around and saw a gang of people in robes - they were more then a small congregation, they were congregation leaders.

“An abomination!” gasped Rod before he took a cloth and pulled it over his body to conceal his clothes. “Let us perform;”

Ebony wasn't sure what on earth they were going to perform, but she felt a shiver that started with a scream. Rod didn't silence her, instead he ignored her as he pulled her to the centre table where he laid her down and strapped her down with a copper belt.

“There that will hold it;” he told before he looked to the others who passed knives and books from one person to another.

Ebony wasn't sure what was going to happen but the threat of the knife made her scream. She screamed as she was grabbed at on all sides, and then she screamed as the knives came down upon her body like a hail of threats that robbed her of her breath.


Ebony was sure she was dead, however she woke and when she did she saw Rod as he peered at her. Candles burned close by, Ebony could smell their scent; however she didn't care about the candles, she only cared about how hard it was to breathe.

Ebony wanted to speak however all she could do was rasp. Rod smiled at her, and then he poured a liquid over her wounding that warmed her blood right away. Ebony smiled as she was covered with warm sensation, and she managed to relax as she gasped through wounding; for a moment Ebony felt good, but then the cluster of leaders began to talk their hymns and her mind twirled until she broke free from her body and floated.

Ebony looked back to her body and watched as it rotted from the acid that had been poured. She thanked her soul that she had been freed, and she floated away as the cluster of leaders continued to voice their hymns which was the emblem of death and cleansing as they watched her body rot.


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