Sentence

CLARISSA TAN
Nov 21, 2009
*Special to asia!
-A +A

Is it possible to fall in love because of a sentence?

Is it possible not to know or care how tall the person is, or what colour his eyes are, or exactly where he was born, or what he smells like, because he wrote a sentence that said everything you had wanted to say, only better? Because, looking at the sentence, you feel a certain strange alliance that depends neither on proximity or even plausibility?

I think it's possible.

 

Poll

November 20, 2009

How do you most like to be polled?  a) on phone  b) on street  c) online  d) on blog of pseudo self-reflexive wannabe writer

If you were a poll, what kind of poll would you be?  a) straw  b) snap  c) exit  d) Rasmussen

Do you like polls?  a) yes  b) no  c) I don’t know

 

Real

November 17, 2009

Pinocchio and the Velveteen Rabbit came to blows; they were fighting over who was more real.

Pinocchio whacked Velveteen Rabbit on the head until the poor bunny had big black bruises, while Rabbit knocked Pinocchio down so that his Nose bled and drops of blood fell on the nursery floor. Both felt the tears well up in their eyes, so great was their pain. “Well,” sighed Pinocchio. “I guess that means we’re both real.”

“I hope nobody writes about this,” said Rabbit, glumly.

 

Paranoia

November 15, 2009

Triplicates. Missile defense shields. Secondary smoke. Alien invasions. SPF 100. Double condoms.

Triplicates. Missile defense shields. Secondary smoke. Alien invasions. SPF 100. Double condoms. Triple locks. Cling wrap. Shotguns. Disclaimers. Padding. Decaf. Prenups. Censorship. Friday the 13th. Lamination. Moat. Leviticus. Private investigators. Panty liners. Kafka. Terms & Conditions. Reinsurance. Hidden cameras. Internal Security Act. Multivitamins. UFOs. Baggage checks. Gated communities. Cults. Psychoanalysis. Confessionals. Fatwas.

Keep Off The Grass.

Armageddon. Hand sanitizer.

 

Tarot

November 13, 2009

- That’s my favourite, you know, the colourful one, the jester, the one who twists things round, turns them on their head, offers everyone a surprise. I believe he is unnumbered, and also, it stands to reason, unencumbered.

- No, no, I don’t want the High Priestess, she looks a bit severe, and the Hierophant is also a right downer, while the Chariot’s all a bit confusing and the Tower’s just plain scary and you can keep your Hanged Man, thank you very much.

What does he mean, he cannot reshuffle my deck? What does he mean, I cannot choose? What does he mean, we can only do our best with what we’ve been dealt? The Fool.

 

clarissa tanClarissa is a journalist who focuses on travel and the arts. As a desperately hopeful author, she writes short stories and is working on a novel. Clarissa won the Spectator’s final Shiva Naipaul Memorial Prize for travel writing.

Contact Clarissa

www.clarissa-tan.com