Dale Estey

Hell Opens A Door In Afghanistan

There are so many horrors to point to. And there will be so many horrors yet to come.

What is so startling is the terrible incompetence of the attempt to have the American military leave the country. The experts seem to know nothing. The Intelligence Community knew nothing about the real state of affairs.The US Military were being withdrawn BEFORE the Afghan citizens they were suppose to re-locate were removed from the country.

Planning – what planning?

A dire situation – for the USA was eventually going to leave regardless – was turned into a disaster.

Afghanistan, historically known as the Graveyard of Empires, took another one

08/16/2021 0

Franz Kafka Ponders Friday 13th

In my novel, Kafka In The Castle, I fill in the missing entries of his actual diaries. There are many days to fill, as he either did not write during these days, or he destroyed the record.

I do give him a brief recognition of Friday 13th. In reality, the Swiss Girl haunted him (pleasantly) all his life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

13 April 1917

I almost wrote down the year as 1913. That was the year I met the Swiss girl. And I remember her joking about Friday the thirteenth, and how we had missed it by just a day. She was superstitious – Christians seem to be. I wonder what precautions she is taking today. It will be three years and seven months since I saw her. Yet some of the things we did could have happened last week. I think that memory must be made of rubber. You can sometimes pull it toward yourself – and sometimes it snaps away like a shot. Causing as much pain.

08/13/2021 0

Razzle Dazzle, Oh Mighty Monarch of the Sky

{I’m The Lighthouse

Poet Laureate of Partridge Island

1821 – 2021

A lot of stuff have I seen

A lot of stuff to report}

I opened the door

At the bottom of

My spiral staircase

Twisting

Beside the wall

Just white-washed

In the Spring.

And

Oh! And!!

Came out into

A sea

A forest

A cacophony

Of orange

And black

And white-spotted

Brilliant-winged

MONARCH butterflies.

They covered the edifice

From Light

To Entrance steps,

Soaking up

The heat

Of the stones.

I grabbed my trusty

Bum-worn

Wooden chair

And moved it

Distant enough

To watch the

Whole structure at once.

I’m still sitting.

~ DE BA, UEL.

08/11/2021 0

Fog Shrouds Hides Protects The Ocean And The Island

{I’m The Lighthouse Poet Laureate of Partridge Island /1821 – 2021/ A lot of stuff have I seen/A lot of stuff to report}

I see three ships

Saw three ships

see/saw

sea/saw

Come sailing in

Though I didn’t (really)

Because of the fog.

Partridge Island fog

Saint John Town fog

Hides everything

It damn well wants to

Christmas Day

Or not.

~ DE BA UEL

08/09/2021 0

The Poet Laureate of Partridge Island 1821 – 2021

{I’m The Poet Laureate of Partridge Island

1821 – 2021

A lot of stuff have I seen

A lot of stuff to report}

I see the sea

I see the land

For these 200 years

It’s all been grand.

(Not Grand Manan

(That’s another place

(Far closer to the sea)

Today I wait for a bus

To roll into Saint John Town

A motorized bus

No horse to be found

Such new things I see

And have seen

From my lighthouse perch

Between the flashing beam.

Gotta Girlie on that bus

Cute as a button

And smart as a tack

Old Saint John Town

Is lucky to

Have her back.

~ DE BA UEL

08/08/2021 0

My MRI Made Me Think Of The Military

Few of the procedures for the MRI were troubling.. I had been told the MRI would take an hour, but I was only in the machine for twenty-five minutes. I guess the rest was the preparation.

I held an IV container in one hand and a panic button in the other. The mattress was really comfortable and the sides were adjusted so I was snug. A broad container containing the ‘film’ was laid on my stomach. I was told (repeatedly) not to open my eyes or wiggle my toes. I had a headset through which I could listen to music or hear verbal instructions. I was offered a number of playlists but took the one recommended – Easy Listening,

I did not find the noise troubling. To me, the sound was more like someone on the outside was throwing rocks at the metal container mixed with rumbles and growls. I know other people find it deafening.

Oh, I also had a prescribed pill (which I requested) for anxiety, which no doubt helped and perhaps kept me drowsy into the day.

But, being literally confined(and with my eyes closed) I found myself actively thinking what to think about., So, I don’t know how spontaneous these two thoughts were.

I started thinking about scenes from one of my NATO espionage novels – the one with Louie the dog. Now, I in no way remembered this verbatim, but the following is a portion of the scene I was remembering.

The Sea King is built for rough weather. It takes some positioning changes but the pilot manages to keep within a constant perimeter. There are also masts and wires and the superstructure itself to avoid. As the BLACK DALE advances through the seas.

A half dozen commandos form a defensive circle under the hovering helicopter. As soon as someone reaches the Sea King, Major LeClerc orders another commando up the ropes. The defensive perimeter is then reduced. There is a compliment of eight NATO personnel, Louie, and the two prisoners beneath the helicopter when CURACA makes his move.

A door at the far end of the Superstructure is blown out. At the same time the door that Bonner bobby trapped is also blown. Though each explosion is barely heard beneath the helicopter, Bonner and LeClerc do hear them. They exchange glances. LeClerc gets half of the commandos still on the deck to aim at the blown door. Bonner, Bess and General Bonner go to their knees, aiming at the doorway they just came through. It is only Louie who starts bounding toward a communications mast in the direction away from the explosions.

“They don’t want to damage the helicopter – they want to escape.” Bonner yells above the noise. “Contain them.”

Bess notices Louie. She looks beyond him and sees another door, already open

“Booth – to the left!”

CURACA and most of his crew are already out of the Superstructure. They are positioned behind a wall and at the base of the antenna array. They are using only machine guns and are careful about the helicopter.

One of the prisoners starts running toward CURACA while the other prisoner tries to run away. Pickering takes out the fleeing man while no one attempts to shoot the other. He dives and rolls toward the doorway.

“Keep loading the helicopter.” Bonner then yells to the earpiece. “Time check.”

“Ten minutes to spare to get far enough away.”

Bonner notes no shooting comes from the exploded doorways. They are diversions. He turns to see Louie making a leap.

“LeClerc! Use some RPGs. Hit the wall over their heads.”

Major LeClerc has kept one of the sharpshooters. He points, indicating to keep it high. He is also aware of the dog, who is taking down the shooter closest to them. LeClerc checks the ropes. They are clear. There are six left to go up

The other thought was perhaps more expected. My father told the story of being in a convoy going through Italy after the successful invasion of Sicily in the Second World War. He has at the trigger of a heavy machine gun, in the back of a truck under canvas. He suddenly heard numerous things being thrown at the canvas side of the truck. It kept happening and he thought that the Italians were attacking. He pulled up a side of the canvas, and saw that the folk lining the street were throwing flowers.

07/26/2021 0

The Cat Lady And The Seal

Well, she was dressed like a cat though, I realise as I write the sentence, how really does a cat dress?

Really, the only dress-up cat that comes to mind was a cat called Tuxedo, who was – I assume – so named because of his attire of black and white fur – right down (or up) to his bow tie. And, I remember him because he ran in every civic election for years, and always garnered 500 -700 votes. He lived a few blocks from me and always had his lawn signs out. Yeah, he probably had a human manager – but still.

But I digress.

The cat lady, it is true, had an exceedingly colourful set of clothes, with a frilly shirt and what looked like a square dance dress. I didn’t note if there were dancing shoes. I was down on the harbour, sitting on my favourite bench, looking out to sea. Summer is picking up and there were many, many other folk walking and taking in the view. So, it wasn’t really her garb that meowed “cat”, but the fact the had her face painted up as a cat, with accented eyes and tufts of fur and a set of cat ears. It’s summer, and there are lots of entertainments on the harbour, and it is possible she was part of some CATS revue that was giving entertainment for the masses. (or that could just be me, trying to make sense of it all).

However, she broke the tranquil evening by starting to yell.

“WHAT’S THAT?

“OVER THERE!

“IN THE WATER

“IS IT A SEAL!?!”

She was becoming so excited and agitated that I finally yelled back:

“YES, IT’S A SEAL”

“I’VE NEVER SEEN A SEAL. EVER IN MY WHOLE LIFE. ARE YOU SURE?’

“YES!”

Yes, I was sure. I had already been watching the animal, and it was putting on a good display. Not many seals venture so far into the harbour, and when they do they are usually above the water less than a minute before they dive to come up somewhere else. This seal was swimming tranquilly along, in nearly a straight line, for longer than a minute at a time. Perhaps basking in the sun. Or watching the people, so he would have tall tale to tell to his friends.

“A REAL SEAL?”

“YES.”

“I NEVER SAW ONE BEFORE.”

And with that she walked away, the sight, apparently, not being as earth-shattering as her voice.

07/24/2021 0

When The End Times Fall

[Illustration by Kafka]

In my novel, Kafka In The Castle, I fill in his lost diaries. Here, as the learned Doktor of Laws, he has been asked to speak to the citizens of the small village of Zurau, where he is living with his sister. He is talking about the end of the Empire the townsfolk have been living under all their lives. Their Empire, and the civilization they know, is soon to be swept away. Will their lives go with it?

He speaks the truth /he avoids the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15 January 1918

This war. They wanted my opinions about this endless war. These earnest, honest men, awaiting the words from the Herr Doktor of Prague.

I agreed only to answer questions – that way I could not be accused of fermenting treason. Even in these troubled times, the law allows a man to answer questions. Assuming that the law prevails.

The law was present in the form of the policeman, attending this questionable gathering while still in uniform. He doffed his hat as he shook my hand. I would rather have him in our midst, than lurking in the hall. We have nothing to fear from him.

“Will the empire last?” This was first from their lips. And they must have needed to hear the words, for even the Emperor must know that all is lost. The Old Order, having fallen into the hands of dull and witless men, must succumb. The complacency of the age must be purged – but that has not yet happened. That awaits the next generation – and the destruction will be furious. But I do not tell them this.

I am skillful in what I do not tell them, for the truth is beyond their power to persuade or control. (Their next questions would have been more difficult had I not curbed the truth further still.) “What will happen to Zurau? What will happen to us?” And they have every right to worry. To suspect. When a society crumbles, it is those at the bottom who get crushed. But I told them that Amerika seemed a just power – not bent on retribution.

I did not tell them that a victor can do as he wants.

And I told them that we live in a secondary part of a secondary empire – the powers of destruction will be concentrated on Vienna and Berlin. I did not tell them that during the death of a snake, the spasms of the tail can be lethal.

And I told them something which could really be of help. I told them, in this coming year, to grow more food: fatten more beasts: prepare, preserve and put away. Fill their cellars and barns to bursting with food and fuel. Buy some things now, which they can use for barter later if the currency becomes worthless. Look after their families and lands. Look after each other.

16 January 1918

I did not tell them that war is the end result of injustice and arrogance, and that it is oftentimes necessary. I did not tell them that when the natural balance is upset by human action, the cost of righting it must be made in human payment. I did not tell them that a country where neighbour is cruel to neighbour is a country mean for war.

17 January 1918

I did not tell them how the Jews will always suffer in time of war. How we will be searched out, then driven as far as the east is from the west, and then be persecuted. How there will never be safety for us. Yea, even unto the land of Israel.

07/22/2021 0