[A gong is struck offstage, & as the
reverberation fades a conch shell trumpets, & then someone rings a bicycle
bell.]
CHORUS (comprised of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, sea
nymphs, brujas, blacktail deer, a tribe of California quail, & 2 towhees)
– Is the paperwork in order?
BANG! (backfire
from a 1962 Dodge pickup truck)
JOANNE – It took
us 35 years to get here.
(chanting)
My
hand in yours
Your
hand in mine
DONALD – Fairest
lady, we are as two currents of water thus intertwined.
CHORUS – Harken
ye, the gathered
& those that are scattered far &
away,
Devas rise up & take flight
like bubbles from champagne!
THE JUDGE
ADVOCATE – I declare…
[Violins, harmonicas, and Hawaiian
slack-key guitars commence, drowning out THE JUDGE ADVOACTE who continues to speak
unheard.]
DONALD – The sun
shines upon the foggy glass lake & we shall go hence.
CHORUS (accompanied by a seagull & a chainsaw)
- Lo, they are showered with petals of
rose & of nasturtium, all
hail!
JOANNE – Well!
