David Harrison Horton



Five Model Answers

Model Answer (Crime) I’m a Jesus man, myself. That should tell you how I feel about crime. For example, it’s criminal that Clifford Brown is rarely in the best trumpet man category. Have a listen to Helen Merrill’s “Don’t Explain,” a throw-away piece if ever, and yet, Brown’s horn saves it, resurrects it, and let’s it shine on glorious. You want to lower criminality? Then get folks to recognize the genius that was Clifford Brown. Model Answer (Animals) Turtles have got it easy. They can campervan wherever they like. OK, yeah, sure: there are turtles, terrapins and tortoises — if you want to split those hairs. Regardless, they are all Winnebagos. Even so, you don’t hear too much about mass turtle migration. Carolina turtles aren’t moving to Alberta for oil rig jobs. And no Russian turtle worth its salt ever once thought of scooting off to Silicon Valley. The turtle is a symbol of stability, not as much as the oak, for the obvious reasons — it can move, but you get the point. Model Answer (Reading) I once stared at a wall for three hours. No kidding. John Cage once said that if you find something boring, look at it longer. I only had three hours of patience, and that wall wasn’t any more interesting; in fact, I now hate walls. Open spaces are where it’s at. For sure, for sure. You can hear birds, jackhammers and crickets. There’s so much information every place, every nook and cranny. Ears are like a radio, receiving signals from every which way. In sum, looking at walls is boring. Model Answer (Tradition) The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. Apples and pears are different from apples and oranges. No one studies logic, let alone philosophy any more. I am not world-weary. I am weary for the world. Whatever that means. Things are going to hell in a hand-basket. So says my father. I don’t think he’s far off the mark, minus the hand-basket — what’s that exactly? My grandfather felt everything was getting crappier and crappier. Now, my dad spouts much the same. The horizon doesn’t seem so rosy to me either, so I’ll continue the family tradition. Thank you for listening to me. Model Answer (Transport) If you break the root words down, trans / port means something like carry through or carry across. This is exactly what happens every time I hear Iggy and the Stooges. Forget wearisome 2017; I am sonically transported back to the raucous days of Reagan-era junior high, arguing who the first punk band was. Certainly not the Sex Pistols. Music can do that ̶ transport. That’s half of it’s charm. The other half is sexual, assuming you are listening to the right music and are in the mood. Candles can also help. I suggest you give them a try.

David Harrison Horton is a Beijing-based writer, artist, editor and curator. chasepark_at_hotmail_dot_com.
 
 
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