The Dust

My very first piece of Burning Man-inspired art!

The Dust --------------------------

There's no need to be embarrassed.
It's completely understandable.
If I were a person,
I'd think Burning Man
was about people, too.

"What about the Art?" you say.
What is your "art" sitting on?
What throws it into sharp relief?
What cloaks and reveals it dramatically
in unsure nocturnal light?
What dramatizes it?
What caresses it?
What separates it
from the dumpster at Home Depot?
I'll give you a hint.
It's off-white
wispy
and you didn't bring it with you.

"What about Community?" you ask.
Did you have no community before you got here?
Are you some kind of fucking hermit
who came out to the desert to be alone?
Your timing is hilarious.
The reason you notice your "Community" out here
isn't because it's better.
It's because it's harder.
Harder to meet.
Harder to talk.
Harder to keep your precious boundaries.
And it it harder because of some Community Consensus on Human Growth?
Fuck no.
It's harder
because of me.

"It's about Drugs!" you say?
Are there drugs at Burning Man?
Are you sure?

Maybe you should drink some more water.

"What about Creativity?"
I guess your satellite cable
your SUV
and your pampered lifestyle
don't inspire much creativity,
do they?
But replace them all with Dust,
and how do you drink?
How do you see?
How do you breathe?

Time to get creative.

"But what about Sex?" you cry.
"What could be more human than sex?"
After seeing what I've seen
I'm forced to agree.
Sex is very human.
But what is it that gets you laid?
That covers your secret shame
your inadequate technique
and your physical imperfections
in goggles
thrift-store rejects
and that blessed, blessed mask?
Whatever it is
it's certainly not
your humanity.

And now you play your trump card.
"But what of the Fire?"
Fire.
This is my favorite.
"We command fire."
"We control nature."
"We are In Charge."
Then you try to light your pipe
and I die laughing.
Think your fire sculpture is different?
Your Stranger?
Your Temple?
The only difference
is the quantity of the dust
and the speed of its chariot.
The fire of your hallowed ritual
and the fire of your precious life
continue to burn only
at my whim.



Have a great burn.

-The Dust