Baraka_Guru

Back in the day, a bunch of Surrealists created a compositional game, whereby each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence.

I'd like to play this game with anyone who's willing. Let's see what sort of strings we can create by following certain rules.

We can change the rules as we go along, but let's start in a straightforward manner:

1. Each composition may only be one sentence long.
2. Each sentence must be placed in spoiler tags* with the exception of the last few words (your discretion, but no more than 3). For example, if I were to write, "He used the knife to cut the apple in half," I would use spoiler tags to submit it like so: Spoiler: He used the knife to cut the apple in half.
3. You may choose to make associations, either directly or indirectly, based on the exposed words. Do not read the hidden parts of the sentences.
4. You are not permitted to read the complete sentences until we agree to stop the overall composition. Once we do so, we will string them together into one post for all to read.

*Spoiler tags are set as: [ spoiler] [/ spoiler] (with no spaces within the brackets)

I will start.

_____________________

Spoiler: Reading a book is much like writing, except the author in this case is dead.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

mixedmedia

Spoiler: They were secretly disappointed to learn that his was not a cold, lonely existence.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

ARTelevision

Not unlike the universe, Spoiler: evidence suggests the evidence is only partially extant.

__________________
create evolution

roachboy

Spoiler: Magic lantern images of automobiles careening through cold empty rooms filled his dreaming self

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

ratbastid

Spoiler: His dream-mother was screaming again, but unlike how she once did.

Baraka_Guru

Spoiler: That was when she asked how much of the dream was real, and how much consisted of potent exaggerations.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

mixedmedia

Spoiler: Only provocateurs and the profoundly insane were able tosee the signs.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Baraka_Guru

Spoiler: What was depicted was of Maginot Line proportions, concrete yet fragile.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

ring

Spoiler: The ice dagger left no traceable evidence behind.

mixedmedia

Spoiler: They were sure to keep the bitch's finances at the forefront.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

roachboy

Examining carefully the evidence in the forefront of the behind area Spoiler: he searched her regions carefully, looking for earwigs using a forehead mount lamp a stethoscope a pair of tweezers and an empty peanut butter jar.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

mixedmedia

So we can play with the spoiler parts?

Upon examination Spoiler: the only signs of foul play were the briar scratches marking his feet

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

ARTelevision

"But this is also unreal in the Spoiler: same way as all previous states of my being."

__________________
create evolution

Baraka_Guru

I suppose so. I would prefer a fair amount of restraint. The key here is to avoid leaving too much text outside of the spoiler tags. The OP said 3 words max, but I don't want to impede people's creativity. At the same time, restraints are a good motivator.

Playing around with the positioning of the outside words is interesting.

________________________

Spoiler: A reading of Baudrillard would be required but inessential Spoiler: to whether the present course would continue.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

mixedmedia

Spoiler: My instincts tell me to flee, Spoiler: my heart tells me to absorb.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

ARTelevision

Spoiler: Impossibilities arise spontaneously, even in the midst of actuality.

__________________
create evolution

ring

I haven't uncloaked any of the hidden messages yet,
this surprises me. Spoiler is a weird term in this context, it brings to mind cleaning out the fridge,
or something. Okay..onwards.

Spoiler: Hands clasping the frozen clock had to be pried from their kindred digits

Baraka_Guru

Spoiler: But where they lie is unknown, and so it shall remain until the very undoing of the atmosphere in which they reside.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

ARTelevision

Yet, for several Spoiler: days, we experienced nothing.

__________________
create evolution

telekinetic

Spoiler: There was no chance that those remaining who had witnessed the events wouldremain unchanged.

__________________
twisted no more

healer

That poor cat...Spoiler: it was hard to believe that someone could actually do something so despicable, for whatever reason.

__________________

ring

Spoiler: Sacrificially drawn & quartered, he nowrests in pieces.

Baraka_Guru

Spoiler: The collection of the fragments were promptly put on display at the local museum.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

roachboy

Spoiler: where quentin continued his obsessively close examinations of various surfaces of flesh and varnish looking for earwigs and signs of decay

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

mixedmedia

Spoiler: The stench was overpowering.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Baraka_Guru

Spoiler: And so the weight of it became such that it was impossible to ignore the ensuing laughter.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Baraka_Guru

Reading a book is much like writing, except the author in this case is dead. They were secretly disappointed to learn that his was not a cold, lonely existence. Not unlike the universe, evidence suggests the evidence is only partially extant. Magic lantern images of automobiles careening through cold empty rooms filled his dreaming self. His dream-mother was screaming again, but unlike how she once did. That was when she asked how much of the dream was real, and how much consisted of potent exaggerations. Only provocateurs and the profoundly insane were able to see the signs. What was depicted was of Maginot Line proportions, concrete yet fragile. The ice dagger left no traceable evidence behind. They were sure to keep the bitch's finances at the forefront. Examining carefully the evidence in the forefront of the behind area he searched her regions carefully, looking for earwigs using a forehead mount lamp a stethoscope a pair of tweezers and an empty peanut butter jar. Upon examination the only signs of foul play were the briar scratches marking his feet. "But this is also unreal in the same way as all previous states of my being." A reading of Baudrillard would be required but inessential to whether the present course would continue. My instincts tell me to flee, my heart tells me to absorb. Impossibilities arise spontaneously, even in the midst of actuality. Hands clasping the frozen clock had to be pried from their kindred digits. But where they lie is unknown, and so it shall remain until the very undoing of the atmosphere in which they reside. Yet, for several days, we experienced nothing. There was no chance that those remaining who had witnessed the events would remain unchanged. That poor cat...it was hard to believe that someone could actually do something so despicable, for whatever reason. Sacrificially drawn & quartered, he now rests in pieces. The collection of the fragments were promptly put on display at the local museum, where quentin continued his obsessively close examinations of various surfaces of flesh and varnish looking for earwigs and signs of decay. The stench was overpowering. And so the weight of it became such that it was impossible to ignore the ensuing laughter.

______________________________

I used the natural lull of the posting as a clean break for stopping our first run at it. Above is the result.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

mixedmedia

haha! awesome.
what is strange to me is that I had a very hard time recognizing the sentences that I had written.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

roachboy

excellent.

please sir, may we have another?

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

Baraka_Guru

Yes, yes, I was pleased with the result too.

Any new rules?

Who wants to cast the first sentence?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

ring

Spoiler: Cantilevering across the causeways, the visions became speckled eels.

thirdsun

Spoiler: Yet no one dared think of them as slippery, rather, slick.

Baraka_Guru

Spoiler: But the trick, you see, is how you grasp them by the tails.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

roachboy

Thinking fins Spoiler: Alfonso began to studiously rub himself with teriyaki sauce assuming that the transition between surfaces licked should be seamless as possible.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

ring

Spoiler: The blades of grass band players needed to catch their breath.

mixedmedia

Spoiler: Putrid is insufficient when it comes to describing it.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Baraka_Guru

Spoiler: There isn't anything halfway about it: there is a story there somewhere.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

ARTelevision

Spoiler: "Consider the alternative," someone soon declared.

__________________
create evolution

ring

Spoiler: More professional wailers arrived than were necessary.
It became a tintinnabulation parade.

roachboy

Spoiler: The ringing in his ears was disorienting not only scrambling his sense of balance but also his sense of how objects were arranged in space relative to ear other with the result that he was afraid to make even the slightest movement for fear of falling down or bumping into something

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite