"It's important to understand that. It doesn't do just to go back and say, well, 'George Bush was president and that is why everything is screwed up,' because that is simply not true."

-- Dick Cheney
15 March 2009

Trompe L'oeil: from the French, to deceive the eye. An art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects really exist.

Sotto in su: from the Italian, seen from below. A type of trompe l'oeil where the elements above the viewer are rendered as if viewed from true vanishing point perspective.

A Trompe L'oeil Casablanca: Sotto in su

by

Justice Putnam

The bombs and rockets are exploding from the Mid East to Western Somoa, from Timbuktu and all along the North Africa Coast. Cities are sunk and bridges are falling as The American walks across the marbled expanse of his nightclub in a trompe l'oeil Casablanca. Not taking the time to survey the room, he strides past the piano player and approaches the woman he knew would be there.

"Ilsa," The American began, "you said we'd always have Paris. Well, here's looking at you kid."

Not waiting to hear Ilsa's explanation, The American turned and approached the Old European and U.S. Congressional delegations at the other end of the room.

"You're either with me" The American taunted, " or you're against me. If you're against me, you'll get nothing. If with me, you'll get what I tell you what you'll get."

"But that's preposterous!" the delegations shouted.

"Pre... pre.... Damn you!" The American shouted, "then you'll get plenty of nothing and nothing is plenty for you!"

Suddenly, all eyes in the room cast upward at the sound of a plane flying overhead. The little man in the corner selling Articles of Demarcation grabbed his papers and bolted out the door. The U.S. Congressional delegations hid under their tables as the piano player nodded at Ilsa and played a familiar melody. The puppet government functionary sidled up to The American and they both walked out the service entrance.

The little man with the Articles of Demarcation approached The American and the puppet government functionary from around a dark corner. He handed out the papers and all three smiled at each other.

"I think," The American said to the little man and the puppet government functionary, "this is going to be a continuation of a very profitable relationship."

A fog of dust and rock arose as they strode past the ruins they created.

© 2007 by Justice Putnam
and Mechanisches Strophe-Verlagswesen