Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Lions and tigers and bears.

I do not know what the world is coming to. The lions are under lock and key and the rail workers’ union won’t even provide us with a decent strike. I wanted to escape the hoards of pilgrims whose importance I find negligible save for their ability to disrupt my city in ways that I could never manage. They won’t love her afterwards either. Pilgrims, I think, well at least they’re not missionaries but they probably are, baby missionaries, missionaries with training wheels, missionaries who start off in urban jungles and move to less savoury ones. I once had missionaries come to the door. It was like having colonialism knock on the door and politely ask if it could tell me about god. I declined. I bolted the door.

I seem to spend a lot of time with the door bolted. I wonder if it means something.

4 comments:

TimT said...

For some reason they're all around Melbourne too, in slightly lesser numbers. Yesterday I was stuck among a bunch of Germans, Spanish (or possibly Portuguese), Lithuanians and (possibly) Russians on the tram.

I kept on expecting them to point at one of the old stone churches in excitement and exclaim joyously before jumping off in a lemming-like fashion and running towards it, but no. Apparently not.

In a selfish way, I kind of like the arrangement. Sydney gets the CBD shut down and the major public transport disruption, we just get slightly increased tourist numbers and a bit more money into the local pubs and cafes. What can I say, bring on the city-based parochialism...

TimT said...

(When I realised who they all were, I said to myself 'Bloody hell! I'm surrounded by Catholics!')

Mish said...

Just be glad you don't live in Randwick.

Don't offer any of them water, food, shelter - it will get you a fine according to SMH.

Why am I even reading the Sydney Morning Herald?

Shelley said...

Mish, I'm kinda working with the whole people who live in Randwick are probably getting what they deserve thing... Er...not that I want to but why can't we feed them?

Tim, I'm quite sure you have more than enough choirboy credits stored to survive among any number of Catholics. I can't say that I've come across any actual pilgrims so far. Though I'm not sure how I'd tell as the streets are full of brats ad their parents at the moment.