|
Six people were killed and two hospitalized with gunshot wounds in a early morning killing spree by a lone gunman during an after-party on March 26 following an all-night theme party in Seattle.
Those killed in the massacre were Burners: Jeremy Robert Martin, 26, Melissa Moore, 14, Justin "Sushi" Schwartz, 22, Suzanne Thorne, 15, Jason Travers, 32, and Christopher "Deacon808" Williamson, 21.
About a dozen friends and members of the Seattle Burning Man community have built a memorial to the victims of the Capitol Hill shootings--the Temple of Light--that will be burnt in Black Rock City following a display at the Seattle Center.
Memorial details and donations accepted at www.seattlememorialtemple.org
This story is dedicated to all the loved ones we lost and the people who remember them. May we all meet again on the Playa.
So Mote it Be!
In Brigidh’s and Hekate’s service and serving the Burning Community,
Pathcrosser the Sidhe
Burner’s Psalm:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for fellow Burners art with me; thy song and thy poi they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine fears: thou anointest my head with cold water; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and joy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell on the Playa forever.
I Woke Up:
I woke up. I find myself lying down on my back on the hot hard ground. The bright sun it beating down on my face. I can barely open my eyes. A hot wind comes by. I choke and gag. For dust is in my eyes and throat. I can barely see or breathe. I try to clear my throat and get the dust out of my eye. To no avail the wind just replenishes the dust.
From a squint I can see a shadowy figure coming towards me. As the figure comes closer to me it starts to cry out, “Are you okay?”
I yell back at the shadowy figure, “No! I can not see nor breathe.”
The shadowy figure now stands before me. Cool water is dripping on my head and face. I splash the water in my eyes. I drink some of the water. I clear my throat. I can now see and breathe again.
I look up. There I see a man who is much younger then me. He is wearing shades and a dusty boonie hat that has seen many years. His khaki shirt is completely covered with dust and a cup hangs from a tan Utilikilt. I thank him and he says “No problem.”
I asked him what his name is. All he says is it was not important right now. He calls me by my playa name, hands me some swimming goggles and says, “Come, follow me. It is time.”
I am thinking to myself, “How does he know my playa name?”
I follow him through the dust storm. After about a half a mile walk, the dust storm clears and right away--I know where I am. I see a very familiar landscape. I see the Man in the distance. I am shocked! How did I end up on the Playa? I was… then I just ended up here!
I turn to the young man and grab him with a puzzled stare straight in to his face. I ask him.
“How the fuck did I get here?”
He just smiles and laughs.
“It is not in my place to tell you how you got here. However, I can tell you this. This is the place where you wanted to be.”
The wind starts to blow again and the dust starts to pick up. The young man smiles again and walks into the blowing dust and fades away.
Wandering:
The wind starts to die down again. I can see far and wide now. There I see RVs, tents, and domes scattered about. There were no street signs. No loud rave music nor center camp. Nothing like the Burning Man I had grown to know. Instead it reminds me of the tales of the early days of Burning Man. When everything had just moved from the beaches of San Francisco to the Black Rock Desert. There were about a hundred people that I could see. Not the masses of people I am used to.
I walk around the playa with my swimming goggles in hand. I see artwork. Some I have seen before on the playa. Others I have only seen in pictures from Burns past. I hear live music. I can see two women practicing their Poi in the distance. I can smell camp food cooking. I am hungry. I wander toward the smell. It smells good.
I find the camp where I smell the food. At the camp is an older couple in their fifties. They both turn my way. The older woman yells my way, “You’re welcome to join us”. I walk over to their camp and look around.
There I see the older male cooking breakfast. He has an old Coleman stove with two Teflon pans on the burners. He’s frying up some links and eggs. The older woman is beading. She has all of her beads laid out in trays. Many colors. Many kinds. She has plastic, ceramic, wooden and all things imaginable. I find a seat and just watch her make a necklace.
The older man yelps “Lunch’s up!” and hands me a plate. I take the food and start to eat.
I look up at him and ask him, “Where am I?”
Both the older man and woman just smile.
As the husband serves his wife some food, she says to me. “You’re dead, boy.”
I reply “Dead?”
“Yup!” replies the older man. “You’re dead.”
I just drop my plate to my lap and sink into the chair.
I am like “Holy Shit! How did I die?”
“Well…,” says the older man. “It is not really my place to tell you see. It is up to you to find yourself. In time you will find out. The Burn is just a few months from now. You will find out then.”
I was totally stoked by what he told me. Then I got to thinking. If I am dead and on the Playa… So where is Heaven and Hell.
So I asked him, “Where is Heaven and Hell?”
This time the older woman answered.
“Here we call Heaven and Hell theme camps. You are here by your own choice. You loved the Playa and wanted to die on the Playa. You always wished to return to the Playa after you had passed away. Well, you got it!”
I just looked down and gave out a big “Whaooooooooo……!!!!”
As the older woman made her necklace she continued.
“You may come and go as you please. There is no gate fee here but I cannot guarantee you can come back. Like Hell…for some people it is very hard to get out but some do. There are other theme camps other than Heaven and Hell of “Heavens” past like Alyssum.”
I interrupt her. “Where are all the theme camps I know and love?”
“Ahhhh…” says the older women. “They are not here yet. They will come. You’ll see. We are the first Burners to cross over. There are only a few of us now. In time there will be more. As they come, they will bring their theme camps and art. Who knows, you will might just see some of your friends. If they choose to. If not, then just cross over to a theme camp and visit them. It is ok.”
I just stare into my plate.
The older lady leans over and says, “Here take this. It is a gift”.
She hands me the necklace she was making. It was made of small plastic beads of all colors. It had a brass charm of the Man. I thank her and start to stare out into space.
A Few Months Later:
It has been three months now since I have died. I have gotten to know everyone on the Playa. Some people cross over with mourning from the Burner community. Others just passed away anomalously. Regardless of how active they were in the Burner community, they all have one thing in common. They all wished to meet again on the Playa.
I managed to setup my own camp. It is funny here. If you need supplies or something you just go to the other camps and they just might have it. It is not like they have a grocery store or a Home Depot at their camp. They will just “have it”. Likewise, if someone comes to my camp looking for something I will just have it. I do not know how it got there or what… but I will just have it. Most people just go around asking for things. Some people still prefer trade and barter. I just give things away with a smile. I mean why not? We are all Burners here.
Everyday I ride my sparkling blue dragonfly bike to the Man. Each time I go to the Man I wonder how my friend and family are doing. Even though I am at peace here, I still miss them so much.
As time passes, new people show up on the Playa out of the dust. Old people. Young people. Some in groups. Most just arrive alone. They all come out of the dust just like I did. Each time I would meet a new arrival I would ask if they know my friends or family. Nobody knew them. I guess in time I would find out about them.
The Night of the Burn:
On the night of the Burn everyone gathered around the Man. There I just stood alone waiting for the fireworks and poi dancers to come out. Instead everyone just stood silently trance like. The wind started to pick up. Only this time the wind was blowing heavier then normal. The dust was so thick that I could not see an inch in front of me. I was like “Oh no! I will not see the Burn.”
Then the wind died down and the dust cleared.
I find myself standing alone.
On the Playa:
Not the Playa where I have been resting…
…but the Playa I have always known.
It’s alive and full of people. I can see this year’s Man and Temple. I see art cars and poi dancers. People are talking, laughing, in motion, and just having fun. I can see all my favorite theme camps. I see people in costume and lots of EL wire. The rave music is pumping and jamming. I am home.
Out from the crowd comes a very familiar face. It was the young man I met when I arrived on the Playa. He smiles at me, hugs me and says, “Welcome home.” I return his hug in kind.
Remembering the first meeting when I did not get his name, I ask him, “What is your name?”
Once again he just smiles at me, “It is not important. But…. I have something for you to see. Come with me.”
He grabs my hand and starts to walk me through the Playa. Then we come to a gathering of people. They are all standing around a makeshift temple. As we walk nearer I begin to recognize familiar faces and I begin to cry.
I see all my friends. I see my parents who vowed never to come to Burning Man. Most of all I see my wife and husband. They where both there… and crying…
The young man lets go of me and I run up to the makeshift temple. To my surprise it is a temple dedicated to me. It has all of my pictures on it. It has letters and poems dedicated to me. It has stuff written by well wishers who were just passing by. My father is reading my eulogy. As it is being read my mother is just balling and my wife and husband are just embracing each other for support. There I learn how I died and hear all the tales of my past life experiences.
As they all spoke of good memories I feel myself getting lighter. I feel at ease. It is a strange feeling. I never felt like this before. Even on ecstasy I never felt like this. It is a wonderful feeling. I can feel the burdens lifting from my soul as they remembered me in word.
The Burn:
I turn to the young man and say to him, “Is there a way I can talk to them”
“Yes”, he replies. “All you have to do is to think it and say it. They will hear it one way or another. They usually do.”
I do just that. The wind and dust kick up a little. My words blow in the wind and dust saying that I am okay and miss them. They all perked up with a strange look in their faces.
When the Man burns my friends and family burn the temple. They all hold each other and cry. Every one of them has tears rolling down their faces. I cry too. I try to touch them but I just went through them. Sort of how you expect to when you are dead.
The Man finally burned down. My temple was no more. My family, friends and all the Burners on the Playa went back to their respective camps. I find myself standing alone. Just pondering and looking down. I can see dawn. It is a new day. People will start packing and go home soon. Some will return, some will not.
The young man comes up to me again. He says it is time to go back. I just look at him with teary eyes. I ask him if the Man was a god or something. This is what he told me.
“The Burning Man is not a god nor a religion. The Man himself represents who we are. We are many people for all walks of life. We are artisans and poets. Dreamers and realists. We are faeries, goths, dragonflies, dominas, seekers, losers, givers and takers. We are many things and the Man is all of us combined together. That is why if you ask any Burner what is Burning Man, you will always get a different answer. Burning Man is many things and never a single thing.”
He turns toward the Man and tells me it is time to go. I reach for his hand and the winds and dust come back. It is time to go. Time to return to my Playa. I am not worried about my friends and family anymore. They still love me and I love them. I will see them next year. One day… if they decide to choose… I will see them on the Playa in years to come. Time to leave home for home.
|
