A racy, humorous, disturbing and subtly mathematical cycle of 32 short stories and poems, luci.a’s arias and fugues travel from paradisaical heights to tragic undergrounds as she tells of adventures on the search for intimacy. Here’s a sample:

1. Excerpt from”Generations Cafe”
2. “ Dietrich in the Dark“

Generations Cafe (excerpt)

Far out west in the desert was Generations Cafe, a rinky-dink establishment of outsiders, built of sofas and tents and a naked man with a cowboy hat, all of which would occasionally be buried in a sandstorm, then dug out again by its freakishly lovable and dedicated inhabitants.  Managed by Madame Magnolia, a tiny red-haired woman with glasses, Generations Cafe was a sort of orphanage for accidental grown-ups with a mission of hospitality for all creatures.  A wooden sign hanging crooked in front of the mutant outpost announced “ALL FREAKS WELCOME.”

luci.a was lost in the desert, pushing her bicycle past the Cafe, when she first met Juju Be.

“Careful!  Cable!  Don’t trip!”  he was prancing on the roadside, hollering to passersby.  He was holding a platter in his hand like a waiter, wearing a straw hat and muumuu.

“Careful!  Ca–!” he stopped mid-prance in front of luci.  “Hey, there!  You are beautiful! What’s your name?”

“I’m luci.a.  I’m lost,” she said, apprehensively squeezing the brakes of her bicycle left and right, looking quickly at the thin black cable that crossed the road, then back at him. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Juju Be!  Would you like a chocolate, beautiful?” he held the platter up to her face.

“No, thanks,” luci giggled.

“Well, excuse me, but if I may ask, I’m sort of bashful, hehe, but have you had your kiss today?”  his unsupressable grin was disarming.

“No, not yet,” replied luci.

“Well,” he smoothly planted a kiss on her soft lips.  “Mmmm… Now you have!”

luci was laughing.

“I loves you, baby,” Juju Be smiled and rubbed his nose against hers.

“We’ve known each other for fifteen seconds.”

“Hey, yeah!  Life’s funny, sometimes, isn’t it?” he bellowed.  “Say, did you say that you’re lost, my

beautiful one?”

“Yes.”

“Well, why don’t you come and join us!  We’re the Generations Cafe, you know, like the Lost Generation, but you can call us ex-pats who haven’t left the country, we just immigrated to the desert.  All are welcome, and I’d just looove it if you’d be one of us.”

“Oh, you are cute,” said Madame Magnolia as luci was brought into camp.  “But we’re all cute here.  Mandatory.”  She winked at luci from her blue wire-rims with a sideways smirk.  The tiny woman had her red hair in a bun on her head and was wearing army boots and nothing else in the desert heat.  Her soft, round body was collaged with scars: a breast tumor removed, a C-section, a hip replacement, stretch marks under every womanly contour, and a burn on her right arm.  But sure enough, she was cute, a nymph who was unlikely to ever lose her youth, despite the battle scars she displayed.  “Like Pretcher there,” she motioned towards a sofa in the front of the open-air cafe, where a large lumpy man in a black kilt was lounging with a beer in his hand.  “He’s adorable!”  Indeed, he was.  Smiling, his blue eyes twinkling, calm like a lake as if he had time under control, all for himself.  He nodded at luci, his warm stare inviting her gently.

“And over there is Princess Pea,” Juju interjected, turning luci towards the back yard, where a curvaceous and strong young woman in protective goggles and a tutu was holding up a blowtorch and yelling, “Solder!  Anyone got more solder?”

“She’s our baby, been with us for six years now, since she was just a wee lil’ one,”  said Juju Be.

“Fine young lady, smart as a whip.”

“What’s she building?” inquired luci about the metal skeleton on wheels that Pea was welding together.

“That, my dear, is a landship.  Pea is building it so she can make excursions back to the mainstream, large enough to bring some friends with her, for some of us who don’t go there regularly.  But just short trips, we don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves.  Clever little lady, she is, oh yes.”

*

*

Dietrich in the Dark

HEY LU cate’s voice I HAVE TO BABYSIT IN
FOUR HOURS & on the plastic mattress some guy’s dick
hanging out of me CAN WE GO SOON? god he looks like
his face got crunched by a forklift, another man is stand
ing real close at arm’s length, a leather vest with a nappy
grey beard looks like santa claus from redneck dirtbag hell

the moonlight club like a backstage with no front stage is
to a caring loving nurturing fantasy what a feeding tube
is to Green’s Vegetarian Restaurant by the Bay; & santa is
jerking off so close can smell his sweat but beavis here
doesn’t care no one cares is the difference between this and
any love i ever imagined; saviour where are you? and then

another man’s hands dietrich in the dark discernable by
only a metal cockring & a lisp oh stranger be my saviour;
could use an upgrade now like your audi needs gasoline &
there’s a party in august he says and will you come with me,
here; & it’s his number real number and name real name, legit.
& I say okay, (anything to upgrade me out of this rat hole)

please turn onto your belly he lisps Oh saviour where are
you? and like Martine’s dream of the tortoise i see the girl
who went with the men she thought were nice (but this guy
dietrich really seems ok) & she is found hanging by a necktie
some sex-play gone wrong; oh c’mon, note to self:
ridiculous don’t worry you only fear what you don’t know

why did you LEAVE HIM?  cate’s voice from yesterday ask
ing but not yelling; she’s just curious, it’s my voice in my head
yelling at myself; damnit if i do it, i have to do it right from
dirty beginning with strangers & no one is mad except me
and #34; i swear that house she haunts me from the quiet
forest park. she’s sad i left her. and she’s sad i left him.