A man sets himself the task of portraying the world. Through the years he peoples a space with images of provinces, kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fishes, [rivers], rooms, instruments, stars, horses, and people. Shortly before his death, he discovers that that patient labyrinth of lines traces the image of his face.”
Jorge Luis Borges, Buenos Aires
October 31, 1960 “Epilogue” “Dreamtigers”
Note: Borges oversight; he forgot “rivers.”
And who am I to say that Borges ever had an oversight?
And who am I to say something like he did; “Shortly before his death . .. … ….”?
Those who bet on death say that I have at least six years before I see the end of the actuarial tables. John Graunt (Royal Society, London, 16th century) laid the basis for those who do this mortal betting. I hope they are correct. I have too many promises to my ‘self’ before the end of the day.
In the essence of time (Senor Borges had so many versions of time; I hope to find a personal version of my own) let us begin.
“A man sets himself the task of portraying the world. Through the years he peoples a space with images of:
provinces,
kingdoms,
mountains,
bays,
ships,
islands,
fishes,
rivers,
rooms,
instruments,
stars,
horses,
and people.
I do not believe that Borges would approve the nesting these categories (one unto another), such as I have, but I must allow Borges to do what he does so well and I hope he will treat me the same. I have to use Borges as an inspiration for my own ideas. That is the difference. Borges was his own inspiration and had his own ideas.
And so; since I have started nesting these categories let me work with them nested; one inside the other.
Provinces:
New York. (Not the City or State)
New York is a geographical description.
New York State is a political description.
Nothing could be more disparate or desperate.
Kingdoms:
Ilovenewyork (Cuomoland)
A section of earth governed by King Cuomo.
Cuomoland has two provinces.
The city of New York, and, upstate New York; a commonpoor.
Mountains:
Adirondacks
These mountains were paid for by the taxpayers.
They were then given to state organizations.
Whence they were posted.
Bays:
Sunfish bay
Dick, Ivan and I fished these waters every spring.
We caught dobson above, bullheads below.
The river has had an environmental scrub (now we catch nothing).
Ships:
Romantic voyages
A raft of logs, or, two tin barrels (plus rope and a plank).
That was it, we only built two types of ship; log or barrel
(I am not counting the pillaged truck tire tube)
Islands:
Thank you Luis for not calling them ‘Isles’
One for eating farmer Alger’s stolen vegetables.
One for hunting and trapping.
One for skinny dipping.
Fishes:
A serious topic
Rock bass for boys.
Black bass for teenagers.
Trout for the exhausted-of-mind.
Rivers:
Waters that may be still, mild or fast
The Susquehanna.
The Tioghnioga.
The Chateaugay.
Rooms:
In the same order as ‘Fishes’ above
The rich odor of the woodshop.
First full time job, 4th floor, shoe factory.
Near fatal delivery room
Instruments:
Musical and other
A never-mastered accordion.
A height-gauge in the tool room.
A cathetometer at Cornell.
Stars:
Chronologically, once again
Three boys, lying in the grass, smoking.
Father/sons camping in the Adirondacks.
An old man, walking two old dogs, at night.
Horses:
Three adolescent boys
Two watching for old man Gates.
The rail fence, to mount a bare back.
Did apples really create all that methane?
And people:
Only three lines for this?
My wife’s family.
My own family.
Those who attempted to teach me.
© Copyright – Waldo Tomosky
The Short Stories of Waldo 