Philip Poburka on sun 3 jun 01
As a boy, about the time of being in the (so-called) =
'second-grade'...and some of the 'third'...I had played often and long, =
with a little assembledge of oddments I had made, and which I kept =
neatly in a box or two, and had pretended was my 'Alchemy' set-up...and =
somewhat as well (my 'secrets')...and pretty much, I kept them safe.
I was an only child, and the 'neighbor-kids' were your typical goofs, =
who shot Lizards and Cats with 'bee-bee' guns, and ate =
'brain-sandwhiches' on wonder-bread, and suffered the scourges of =
'impetiago' and what not else, and I suppose grew up to assume their =
duties to the gene-pool and make more like themselves...anyway, I looked =
at them through narrowed eyes...
So...I 'played' by myself mostly...in the Creeks and Fields, or else in =
the 'garage'...
I had little pretend or approximately actual, 'retorts' and reducers, =
carboys and distillers...decanters...I did not maybe know the names of =
them, but had some notion of what they 'did'...ways to let things 'cook' =
and fume, sit and settle out...seperate the layers...many little bottles =
of precious things I'd found, and I'd mix and imagine toward some =
results...would grind up ('wet') kitchen-match heads and dissolve them =
in Sulfuric Acid...other 'Acids' I didn't know the names of...evaporate =
the dissolved things and grow 'crystals'...add those to something =
else...did many things like that...heat things, or cool them in =
ice...had old 'cyanide' powders from my dad's l946ish electroplateing =
left overs...'malathion' and 'parathion' ...dissolve the Zink off =
'galvi' Nails...burn the Hydrogen...cook something else...with that...or =
bubble it through some liquid or other...see what it did...
=20
'DDT' ...lacquer thinner...'Carbon-tet'..."Ant" powders...I'd cut open =
old low-base 'paper' 12 Ga. Shot-Gun shells, and dissolve the sequin =
'powders' from those...dissolve=20
'ping-pong' balls...and celluloid screw-driver handles...old hi-way =
'flares'...had or made curious viscous liquids, and made 'powders' that =
I had 'ground-up', like the 'Indians' ground Acorns, on a flat rock, =
with a roundish one...fold these in little papers, like to make an =
'envelope'...later, dissolve them again, in something 'else'...in =
copper, lead or glass vessels...add things...and maybe cook 'em...see =
what they 'did' then...
=20
Things that I'd find...just played...imagined...I liked these =
things...melted Lead, made little moulds and cast little 'bottles' and =
containers, take old brass Buttons, and cast in the back-hollows of =
them, the likeness of Eagles and Lion's heads...solder-weld these to the =
Lead Bottles... little shapes and sculptures...dissolved plastics...or =
would 'cook' little crystals or bubbleing chalky slimes with the =
concentrated 'dot' of a Magnifying Glass...alcohol lamp, or an old =
'Presto-lite' Acetylene outfit...needed that for the 'Lead' work...do =
this in small Film Cans, or Tomato-Paste cans...cook it, or melt it and =
pour...
Sometimes, some 'things' sometimes they'd 'whooosh!' and one time burned =
my eyebrows off, along with how the skin on my hands and cheek somewhat =
came off...from being scortched like that...like =
'cellophane-over-jello'...
Had a mould blow up once owing to a Spider had crawled in...he became =
steam right fast, and the Lead splattered out..little dots of it stuck =
in my face...still have little 'dots' scars in the whites of my =
eyes...they cooked their way in somewhat...had to use tweezers to tug =
them out.
I'd mix things...get etherial plumes and wafts of purple =
vapours...violets...browns...yellows...O! So pretty!
I made little copper tools, little spoons and cups, use Tin-Snips...both =
hands...pound them over some shape...anneal them...pound some more on =
whatever was close for shape...learned to rivet little things...made =
little 'hinges' and clasps and would affix (rivet) them to hollowed =
Walnut-Shells...work harden the copper...solder and file...
Put some of these things in 'Time-Capsules' sealed with lead foil I'd =
pounded out...soldered up snug.
Or too, I'd run a sheet of the Lead Foil through a Typewriter, and write =
things that I thought would 'last'...and bury them too...for some future =
'Archeologist' or other...my boy-thoughts, from nineteen-and-fifty-nine, =
or sixty and such.
Made little soldered 'Copper' vessels, these would give some green =
effects...grew 'verdegris'...which I heard could give you the 'Gangreen' =
in a wound...did different things...mix 'em, let 'em settle...evaporate =
them, add something else...pretty colours, residues and =
exudae...revitalize them with some liquid or other...the smells! Some of =
them pretty yucky...some few were allright...had sulphur...would melt it =
too...cast things...add it to things...ammonium =
nitrate...'ajax'...'Clover' Brand 'Valve-Grinding =
Compound'...whatever...
'Bars-all'...Detergents...Battery-Acids...on and on...learned a little =
about different things...learned a little on several of things...
Incantations...Decantations...and reveries...
I was sick a lot anyway, and this was a nice stay-at-home passtime, for =
when I couldn't go play by the creek.
Well, one day I get home from school, or somewhere, and all my little =
bottles, and chubby small 'envelopes', and little home-made retorts and =
all are smashed up and scattered in the yard, and in the neighbor's =
yard...my parents said I'd been too 'selfish'...and it was high-time I =
let the other kids play with my 'toys'...
'Grand Prairie, Texas'...it so happens.
Anyway...
I got depressed...slept for days...they couldn't wake me.
My parents used to just 'yell' about how they thought I'd 'stunk-up' the =
Garage...'again'...anyway...
Philip
Las Vegas...
| |
|
