A Play in one act by Baha Z.
Performance: November, 2002
Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, San Mateo
Time: 6:00 pm of December 31st 2000. Release off of work
Place:Admissions, near the door in which police officers and staff come in and out of. On the counter where all the old gear is stalked behind it, inside it, where all the worn out and battered helmets and vests lay; yet still useable. Where the unappreciated unwanted worthless camera wounds with its flash in which a mugshot in imprinted; where people start to really feel the mournfulness and regretfulness, the normal daily feeling of “Juvy”. Torment.
At Rise: KLINNG the handcuffs is standing over his ever so humble yet pitiful key. This key is known and is called KEE. Kee belongs in Klinngs hole. Klinng stands raising her hand in an inadequate yet optimistic way at KEE while he looks back in a peaceful yet curious way. An invisible black fire with spots of red reaching from Klinngs distant eyes.,
| KLINNG: |
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(crying and mad. More mad than sad,
at the same time)
You know what Kee? I’m fed up with
your stupid plan. It’s taking so long,
I can’t do this anymore.
You know what I think of family Kee.
I think family is the people I get in
contact with. I want new contact.
Contact in which they would like.
I feel my family hates me as the door
closes them in the hall, depriving them
of freedom, looking at me with hate,
while I look back and say, “I’m no
more free than you are brother.”
Tears, if I had some, would run down.
I want family who would enjoy my
company and have fun with me.
If you would struggle with me for
freedom and break out of the drawer
so that you, Kee, would help me be
free of this torture, the torment which I
feel when i’m forced to cling on these
adolescent kids, depriving them of
freedom, just cause this cop made
me do so.
Freedom is the only relief contrary
to this feeling. I would be free of
mind. I don’t want to hold my family
captive. I want new family which
put me on for fun, to act, not by
force, not to hate me on their wrists,
but to like me. So much anger
towards you, yet I love you. Why
can’t you help?
(tears)
What is it that’s keeping you from
helping me. What’s going on Kee?
I mean, what is this?
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| KEE: |
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I love you too…
I know you’re being tortured.
Torment is not easy. But you should
think my way. Maybe these kids
deserve what they’re getting, you
know, you do something bad,
someone does bad to you.
IT’S KARMA. Think about it. |
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| KLINNG: |
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But that’s not fair. I mean, they, they,
they got counseling classes, they got
A.A., N.A., they got anger management.
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| KEE: |
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What are you talking about, they
give those as chances, first, maybe
second offense. But you know what,
anyone that doesn’t learn the first time,
I think they deserve this, they might
just learn in the hall.
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| KLINNG: |
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Hey, you suck, I can’t believe you just
said that, no one, no matter what ,
deserves to be locked up. God judges
all, not humans. Ain’t nobody gotta be
somewhere they don’t wanna be,
and I ain’t sticking around to judge
them, I believe freedom is a right. |
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| KEE: |
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Freedom is a right. Yeah, yeah, yeah
right!!! I mean, you say God should
judge, so if a man steals from another
man, then what? |
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| KLINNG: |
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God would judge.
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| KEE: |
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Then what would happen if that man
really liked what got stolen. How
would he get it back? |
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| KLINNG: |
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He steals it back because once it’s
stolen, God would not judge you for
stealing your property back as long
as you do the same damage as he
has done to you. First testament.
Eye 4 an eye. |
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| KEE: |
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And what if then other man is a lot
smaller, scared, or just not as
devious: saaay, to enter another
mans house and steal. |
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| KLINNG: |
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He would have to learn I guess,
get his buddies. |
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| KEE: |
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(Frustration. Raises backhand.
Klinng flinches)
Damn trick, you ain’t getting this. We
need help for people like that. Hell,
what if a man shoots another man
and the other man dies. What then?
Come back alive and shoot him?
Damn you’re just stupid. You get
me so frustrated. Stupid… |
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| KLINNG: |
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And hey don’t call me dat neither.
D__n, freedom is a right. I don’t got
nuttin’ figured out. What am I? America’s
politics?
I’m not gonna go and try to stop it.
I just don’t want part of it. Shhh… |
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| KEE: |
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You want out, you’re going to run.
Go head you coward, you know, you
talk about God and what not, you think
if God wanted children to play with, act
as if they’re cowboys, would you be
here right now? obviously this is the
way God wanted it. Hell, why don’t you
go find two kinky adults and see what
kind of playing and acting they
experiment with you. |
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| KLINNG: |
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Eeeeeeeewww… |
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| KEE: |
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Yeah, think about that. |
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| KlINNG: |
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You know what? You perverted Kee.
I’d rather be with two kinky adults
rather than seeing the expression of
all these so called young hard thugs,
yet when I’m I’m forcefully locked on
them and all they hear is “Klinng”. All I
can see and hear is; “mamma”. Not
buddies, not home boys but in need of
“mamma” No one should ever exploit
anyone like that, to show that side of
a person. The side in which they don’t
wanna show, yet it was brought out
forcefully. To strip naked in front of a
stranger, for your emotion to come
out in that way,,,that you would never
wanted it to come out. In public.
Another thing about nakedness.
When ____ strip naked for the first
time in admissions just so this stranger
can check if you got anything on you
that nasty demoralizing feeling just is
there right at that point in time. The
reason I say the first time is because
after that the demoralizing feeling just
becomes a daily thing. After a while
you start to think you’re an animal.
You might even bark. Actually, trust me.
You’ll bark. |
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| KEE: |
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Well maybe that feeling should be there.
Maybe when they are finally released
they’ll start to appreciate what it is to
be human. To say, “Hey,I’m smart. I
don’t have to do this. It’s wrong. I’m
not an animal. I’m not can tell what’s
right from wrong. My mamma told
me so. |
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| KLINNG: |
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You gotta one track mind. You ain’t
got no heart. No heart at all. Kee,
you’re not that same old person.
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| KEE: |
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(More sad. Mad too.)
You know what? That hurts…
You think don’t think about these kids?
You think I don’t know how they feel?
I mean…I’m locked up too.
But I ain’t gonna run. I’m not a coward.
I mean, I’m tied to this job.
I won’t run. Running is for cowards.
You don’t think I miss my mamma?
That steel that I come from?
You don’t think I feel what they feel?
I know the feeling they get when they’re
just waking in the morning, barely
open their eyes, missing their mom.
Thousand needles in the heart.
The only way to stop it
is to hold your breath.
Expand that heart
so these needles within
would not touch it,
as they think more and more
about people,
like their mom, maybe their girlfriends,
as they think more,
is as much as those needles
double and thicken,
the center of that heart is throbbing
for freedom,
that agony it feels
from not only the center
but the bottom of that heart as well.
All that thinking during the day,
by nighttime those…those
thousand needles
change to knives
as they double and double
until they reach a million,
if not more,
knives.
I know that agony
yet at the same time
I know when they get out,
they’ll not only promise the world
to do better,
but also for once promise themselves.
I feel that’s what counts.
That promise to yourself.
You’re less likely to break
one if you’re trying to prove yourself
to yourself rather than to someone
that just might have doubts while,
after all that pain and suffering,
you only have hope.
I know how they feel.
They’ll have to learn from it.
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| Friend: |
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(Astonished)
Wow Kee, I didn’t know you felt that way.
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| KEE: |
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Don’t get all mushy on me. I just wanna
help these kids. |
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| KLINNG: |
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But maybe they learned. |
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| KEE: |
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Maybe they did. |
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| KLINNG: |
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(Yell. Cry.)
But I want freedom. Kee, I want freedom. |
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The End. |
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KEE and
KLINNG:
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(I wanted to act so say this together.)
Baha, come up here and bow with us,
maybe say a few things, but make it
short though. |
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