From an Island, #4 (Homage to Rauschenberg's 'Pelican')

No sense trying to sleep during full moon madness, the night after our "Homage to Pelican," for me a joyful return to the zone of performer's mind, the thrill of improvisation. And especially meaningful to be performing with Susan Banyas, with whom I danced and made theatrical mischief for many years as the expandable duo So&So&So&So.To plucks and clunks of John Cage, Carrell escorts Lucinda up onto the chairs (Rauschenberg's "Ancient Incident") where she sings in soaring soprano:OSPREYOSPREYROAM FREEIBIS!IBIS!MALIA HELDA PELICAN(etc)Susan and I glide around on Bob's black rollerskates (the very ones, yes, that he used in his 1958 "Pelican", now with fraying shoelaces) adorned with our palm frond parachutes, gently propelling Lavinia and Kate off-balance (they are our Cunningham-Carolyn Brown muses), blue bicycles spiral on the grass in the distant lawn. I'm told an osprey flew over (cue osprey!)the performance during the final moment, wriggling mullet in his talons, illuminated by the sun.And then there was the egret who wanted some ice: