Two Geese
Curio

Jimmy Lee Suddith, 1990, House paint and mud on plywood. $1250

H 24 x 24"

they're stationed by the window, peering out behind the lace compulsively, sipping endless cups of earl grey, and passing judgment on the weather that would put king solomon himself to shame. when the topic is sufficiently exhausted, they'll reach a verdict, dismal prospects decreed for the morrow, now onto the state of their health, a subject of infinite potential: hip replacements, surgery, medications, more clucking on the incompetence of the national health service, and now they fall on their favorite topic like a delicious bit of meat: those delinquent ingrates and their various exploits (referring of course to their respective broods, each issue more perfectly useless than the other's), or, more importantly, why those ungrateful wretches never visit. they have their own children now, and this one's only seen pictures of her grandchildren; they never visit. but wait: don't pour the tea yet. let it sit a minute. it's still too weak, see? there, now. have a chocolate biscuit, won't you? well you must have heard this thing about the neighbor, mrs. jones, with five children and a heart condition, mixed up in some kind of scandal involving the butcher and her husband's cancelled business trip to morocco. (no wonder she always had meat on the table.) she wasn't their kind of people anyway; never took the trash out on the right day; always loud music playing at every godforesaken hour; even when the police came 'round, they never did a thing; never says "hello" in the park; no one cares much for an old woman, do they? she's still waiting for an appointment with the eye doctor, been half-blind three weeks now, and nobody cares; there aren't any appointments to be had for months, when she's sure to be blind completely! nobody cares; nobody cares for an old woman; they just look at her on the bus like she's taking up space; will you have another cup of tea?

j. s-o'c