Wedded To The City Two

"I was to offer my soul to the soul-mate
The Beloved outsmarted me: I got burnt
There's nothing left of my blood or flesh
but ash."
Attard

All the time now, doors kept opening, each revealing dank grey pockets of an altered world. He himself was altered, defective; and each day was a crisis to be got through, and that was all. It was happening again, as he stood waiting for the cabcharge at the front desk; pockets of different places. The revolving front door was moving, and someone he knew vaguely breezed past. Lovely day, she said, healthily; and he could only grunt in amazement. These were the times he fought for, just to stay sane. He could see the dank maw of the outside world, and was already frightened. Already the phone was ringing. Are you there yet?

The colours were all wrong; in a turbulent world. He could hear the buildings around him groaning as he waited for a taxi. There wasn't one disaster that had led him here, but a million failed adventures. You could trip and a taxi would stop some days, but just when you needed one... And then inside; an Asian taxi driver. He gave the address and went to give an explanation; but thought better of it. How cruel could these currents be; that had washed so many people here, struggling to survive. He could hear the sirens in the distance, above the increasing noise of the buildings.

The Partnership Centres had been the most Orwellian of the government's creations; but only a short step into tyranny from where the country had been. The complete control of every body's private lives; the abolition of family; the eradication of romantic love; how noble these goals had once seemed. Around the world they fought controversial wars against tyranny; the definition of tyranny turning on a coin spin. Everything he had ever believed in had been proven wrong. His faith in government; in doing the right thing; had all been betrayed. He could see lights flashing; pandemonium in the distance. Here, in these concrete bunkers, had been the greatest betrayals.

THE BIGGER STORY:

AFP:

Australia is poised for its most bruising election clash in a decade as Prime Minister John Howard battles the toughest opponent to emerge since he won power, analysts say.

Howard's conservative coalition and the opposition Labor Party set the tone for the upcoming campaign last week when they accused each other in parliament of smear campaigns and mud-slinging.

AP:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Sunday the shooting deaths of civilians allegedly at the hands of Blackwater USA guards and other prior incidents involving the company pose "serious challenges to the sovereignty of Iraq" and cannot be accepted.

"The Iraqi government is responsible for its citizens and it cannot be accepted for a security company to carry out a killing," he told The Associated Press, speaking in his New York hotel suite ahead of his appearance at the U.N. General Assembly.
Top International stories

Noting that Blackwater has been linked to at least seven incidents involving gunfire on Iraqi civilians, he added: "There are serious challenges to the sovereignty of Iraq."