Autophysiopsychic Partnership

by Yusef Lateef

Characters:
LASHAY
COLEMAN
SHEPP
SONNY
Scene
Blue light. Center-a plush, red Persian rug; Front Left-a spittoon, 18 inches high; Rear Right-a Rolls Royce, late model; Rear Left-a mule. And incense is burning in the spittoon.

LASHAY is sitting on the rug facing auditorium, with legs crossed. COLEMAN is facing the mule and staring intently into the mule’s eyes.

LASHAY: Mule!
COLEMAN: The mule can’t talk.
LASHAY: Zeus can.
COLEMAN: Me, too.
LASHAY: Mule! Do you hear …
COLEMAN, (walks to the spittoon, sits on it facing audience and lights a cigarette): That’s dangerous stuff.
LASHAY: Do you like the rug?
COLEMAN: No, I don’t like donkeys either.
LASHAY: You should try one sometime; there’s nothing to it.
COLEMAN: But I don’t like the rug.
LASHAY: Don’t feel like that, it’s famous.
COLEMAN: Famous for what?
LASHAY, (takes a tennis ball from his pocket and throws it toward the Rolls Royce): For rudiments.
COLEMAN, (takes shoes off and looks at his feet): I don’t like them either.
LASHAY: Siangas badungas.
COLEMAN: No slangas. Full boondas.
LASHAY: Half boondas … Rug full boondas.
COLEMAN: Feet full boondas.
LASHAY: You dig! I’m hip.
COLEMAN: Hip bouk.
LASHAY: Mule!
COLEMAN, (Silence): Zeus!
LASHAY, (takes a black velvet cloth from his pocket and covers his head): This keeps evil thoughts out.
COLEMAN: I’m with you.
LASHAY: Who is the evil-doer on my left?
COLEMAN: Siangas!
LASHAY: Who aims his evil eye at my fragile scull?
COLEMAN: Full slangasl
LASHAY: Who said so?
COLEMAN: Scull.
LASHAY: No, scull-boondas.
(The horn in the Rolls Royce begins to blow. LASHAY and COLEMAN are not affected by its sound. The door of the car slowly opens and SHEPP crawls out head first as he releases the horn. He walks to the front of the car and faced it.)
SHEPP: Car – bu – Iy … Su – na – dee. Nu – nu – nu – nu – thing. (Silence) I love you Calliope … du – lu . du – lu – dee.
COLEMAN: Dig him!
LASHAY: Siangas.
SHEPP, (walks to center front and faces the audience): Look at you! Contaminators! Emancipators of madness! Violent fools and Placebo addicts, you poor mentally infected blood-sucking leeches!
COLEMAN: Siangas! Siangas!!
SHEPP: … Strangling little flowers with your thorny hands and psychedelic lies … sick sounds … carrion eaters.
LASHAY, (Silence. He takes the cloth from Ms head.): I’m safe now.
SHEPP, (walks back to front of car and faces it): I love you, Polyhymia. Car – bu – ly … Su-na-dee.
COLEMAN: Rugby baby.
LASHAY, (turns a backwards summersault off of the rug and faces the audience): The rug is beautiful. The joy it gives is out of sight.
COLEMAN, (stands and puts the cigarette in the spittoon): Me too. (Goes to the rug and sits where LASHAY was sitting.) Tr·A·A·r·r·r·A·R·A-r-r-thwee thwee tr-r-rr R-R-r-r-rrreeet.
LASHAY: Beautiful, isn’t it?
SHEPP, (still facing the car): Car· bu – Iy … Su – na – dee.
COLEMAN: (stands on one foot and then on the other and moves his arms like a bird): Tr-A-R-r-r-r-R-R-R-R-r-r-eee EEEET! (Sits down facing SHEPP.)
LASHAY: A warm bright August day arrived. Sunlight flooded through the veins of the head.
SHEPP: Su – na – dee! Su· na – dee!
COLEMAN: ON – SKA!
LASHAY: Birds shaded themselves among leaves.
SHEPP: Su – na· dee, su – na – dee!

COLEMAN: Full bouk, Oh ma – paba! No slaba.
LASHAY: But you wouldn’t know anything about that.
COLEMAN, (turning towards the audience): I do. Change parts and play it backwards.
LASHAY: It’s on the outside like a spider.
SHEPP: Su – na – dee boogaloo baby.
COLEMAN: Where, in the cornfield?
LASHAY: … and certain glands produce liquids.
COLEMAN: For what?
LASHAY: To weaken the shell and skull.
COLEMAN: Dig – ga – ma – pa, ba.
LASHAY: The knees must form sharp angles;
SHEPP, (as though he is dancing with the car): Boogaloo baby. ,su – oa – dee – do. (Stops dancing and strokes the car’s headlights tenderly,)
COLEMAN: Siangas!
LASHAY: … and the muscles support the air column if the hind legs are soft and flexible.
COLEMAN: Be careful that the knee joints don’t get busted.
SHEPP: Run it down to me Clio; Su – nadee car – bu – ly.
LASHAY: When you transplant a new lining to the intestine the windpipe will be developed.

(The sound of the blues being played on a saxophone is heard coming from the back seat of the Rolls Royce. The back door of the car slowly opens and SONNY steps out playing the saxophone. LASHAY, COLEMAN and SHEPP keep their current positions showing no visual signs of being disturbed by SONNY’s appearance. SONNY, still playing the blues, slowly walks to front right of stage and plays about three twelve measure choruses of slow blues, then 8 short silence.)

SONNY: You dig? That’s the way it is and that’s where it is.
LASHAY:ON – SKA!
SHEPP, (walks to the mule and faces it): I love you, Thalia, Su, na – dee, Suna – dee.
COLEMAN: I’m not afraid now.
SONNY, (looking at COLEMAN): Afraid! You gotta love the blues and I do.
LASHAY: ON – SKA! .
SONNY: … nothin’ like it.
LASHAY: Full boon-da.
SONNY: It’s all coming out in my story. (Faces the audience.) What’s your story? You heard mine.
SHEPP, (looking at the mule); Are you dumb?
COLEMAN: -It’s only a matter of time before you grow old and die.
LASHAY: On – Ska!
SONNY: Play me some blues.
COLEMAN: It’s as old as water.
SONNY: …and just as good.
SHEPP, (still looking at the mule); I love: you Polyhymia. su – na – dee, su – na dee.
SONNY: Let me hear from ya!

(He walks slowly to the car and gets into the back seat and closes the door. Silence.)

SHEPP, (facing the audience): Who is the mule? A few of you are cool.
LASHAY: On – Ska!
COLEMAN: The mule can’t talk.
SHEPP, (walking towards the car): Play me some blues.

(He gets into the front seat of the car and slams the door shut behind himself.)

LASHAY, (walks slowly to the car and sits in the back seat next to SONNY): Me too!

(With legs folded and arms folded COLEMAN lowers his head slowly towards the audience as if going to sleep as SONNY begins playing the slow blues from within the car. The lights gradually dim to a blackout.)

Curtain