Goose County Cynan Orton
Cynan Orton 01: Barthes as a Threat I have been sat for several hours now on a bench pretending to read the works of esteemed cultural theorist Roland Barthes. In theory I am ready. I am well rested and know that I will find the essay interesting. Still my prolonged lapse of concentration only ends when my eye catches on an encroaching flock. The birds seem highly motivated and capable of setting achievable goals. The threat is unspoken but I hand over my lunch and leave promptly. Later, in the comfort of my own home, I continue to not read the works of esteemed cultural theorist Roland Barthes. Instead his most famous essay is hung above my desk like a motivational poster. Its title staring me down like a hungry goose.
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Goose County
[07/09]
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Cynan Orton 02: Wodan’s Bridge The bridge is due to be shut for nine weeks as soon as September asserts itself as an autumn month. The ritual is performed roughly once a decade and is necessary to ensure the safety of all who walk across. It is inconvenient but the commuters have little choice in such things and so each finds their own way to cope. The seconds re-shaved off their commute are to be cherished throughout the winter once the scaffolding comes down.
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Goose County
[09/09]
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Cynan Orton 03: Bon Voyage! A man fobs his way into the gated Pomona Warf apartment complex as three ships slip silent down the river. They embarked on their voyage with little fanfare away from prying eyes. The contents have long since spilled but a skeleton crew of mould remains. Two pass by a scrapyard untouched. The third is stopped by a low hanging shrub. It is ignored by the yard’s staff. If it was worth salvaging it would not be in the river. The residents of Pomona Warf have sent several letters to the council about fly tipping but the forms are never processed quickly. By the time removal men arrive the vessels are either capsized or have floated down river. In either case they are out of sight. The cost of their destruction trickling to someone else’s doorstep.
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Goose County
[16/09]
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Cynan Orton 04: Migration Routes The speculative market for migratory animals relies on the anxious fluctuations of expert debate. Will the beasts return this year? How long before they find a different route? When will they stop betting on these exhausted wings so overdue a crash?
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Goose County
[21/09]
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Cynan Orton 05: A Pessimist’s Guide to Streaming Metrics Water swells. A gurgling noise streams across the low ceiling just under the bass roar of a train. LED lights attract the last insects of a fading summer in droves. The spiders are already waiting. Each morning the overcrowded webs leans further out over the walkway. Dozens of generations have hatched on these high rise factory farms. You’d be forgiven for calling them insects too; there are few left with all eight limbs, and most too busy counting their neighbour’s legs to hold a proper grudge. How hungry do you think they’ll get when the water swells up properly and the lights finally short circuit?
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Goose County
[29/09]
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Cynan Orton 06: Magical Realism It was a first time offence, so the officer reduced the fine to the standard rate for a cursed tome. Apparently the Oxford primer on magical realism I was carrying had been printed three years before the printing press was invented. This surprised me, as it appeared to be a contemporary trade paperback. The officer gently explained that this was exactly the problem. When I asked if I could return it, he cautioned me for attempting a call to adventure, and explained that one more step over the threshold and he would have to set me on a road of trials that would make Kafka blush. I thanked him for the warning, and he crawled back under the bridge to resume his previous task. The sound of large mandibles ripping through a rotting fridge following me as I stumbled home.
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Goose County
[31/09]
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Cynan Orton 07: To Coda I come back to lighthouses like a concert crowd returning to the coda of the setlists closing single. I did not expect to find one this far inland and now it itches at the back of my mind like an X on a map subsuming all other landmarks. Babbling towers. Pagan chronicles. Beginner’s guides. For now though just turn the page, finish this little walk of ours, you can always return now that you know the route.
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Goose County
[01/10]
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