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 Times In The Garden Of Eden

Iri Kopal

Three from the 31-Play Cycle:
Awake, Surrender, To Lick, Loving, Laid, Fucking, Tomorrow,
Severed, To Breathe, Endtime, Coming, Coming Again,
And Again, Wet, Biting, Eating, Laying, Sleep, Dreams, Skin, Breath,
Renewal, Submit, Remorse, To Want, To Hide, Fruit, Love,
Lightless, Death, Memories

The complete cycle premiered in 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand
 and again, in the same year in Hälsingberg, Sweden.

 

 

LOVING

 

The stage is black and bare. All the lights are focused on the center making a circle of light. As the scene plays out, the lights change color slowly, many colors, whatever you see.

HE enters into the circle of light. He walks around it once. Then he pantomimes a place, an environment. He builds a river, trees, rocks, hills, bushes, a shelter. There is music. When he is finished, he goes to each thing he has built and uses it. Then he is satisfied and leans up against a tree.

 

SHE enters. She quietly examines everything, then sits on an
imaginary rock.

HE walks by her, stops, looks at her. She turns away.

 

HE

Are we different?

 

SHE

Yes.

 

HE

Did we change everything by entering each other's body?

 

SHE

Yes.

 

HE

Was it wrong? Was passion wrong?

 

SHE

Not wrong when it can be shared? Did we share it?

 

HE

I don't know.

 

He walks away from her and around the circle.

 

HE

My passion is for you. I love your woman's skin and woman's body. My body is ugly and flat. A man has no beauty in his body, nothing to adore. I adore your body, your eyeless breasts, the flower between your legs, the curved curves that flow when you move. I adore all the waters that flow out of you. I want to possess all of that. I want to put on your skin and feel all of the softness you feel. I want to be awake and asleep with you pouring through me. I want to be me adoring you.

 

SHE

Together. My passion is for me, and we can share it together.

 

HE

Why would you do that?

 

SHE

Because, because, the heat I feel comes from the heat you feel. It isn't wrong. There are no others in the world, only you and I.

 

HE

Would you feel the same if I were a "she"?

 

SHE

Yes. Would you feel the same if I were a "he"?

 

HE

Yes.

 

SHE

Then lay me down and never stop feeling this way.

 

(The rest is a dance.)

  

END

 

 

LAID

 

The stage is black and bare. All the lights are focused on the center making a circle of light. As the scene plays out, the lights change color slowly, many colors, whatever you see. HE enters and stands at the edge of the circle of light. SHE enters and stands at the opposite side.

 

HE

I thought about you.

 

SHE

So did I – about you.

 

HE

I missed you all the time I was here.

 

SHE

And before that?

 

HE

I missed you more.

 

SHE

I can't stop thinking about you.

 

HE

It's bad, isn't it?

 

SHE

It's a good bad. It makes me hot and my skin gets wet. And I'm constantly rubbing my fingers together.

 

HE

Oh yes, my fingers and my lips and my legs.

 

SHE

What time is it?

 

HE

I don't know.

 

 

SHE

I don't care.

 

HE

Neither do I.

 

SHE

I don't know what to do.

 

HE

Neither do I.

 

SHE

I miss you, I want to stop missing you. I want to stop aching.

 

HE

So do I.

 

SHE steps into the center of the circle and removes her clothes. She keeps the clothes pressed against her covering the front of her body. HE steps in and does the same. They stand there looking at each other. The lights keep changing colors.

 

HE

I'm not cold.

 

SHE

Neither am I.

 

HE

I still miss you.

 

SHE

I still miss you.

 

They turn away and put their clothes back on. HE steps to her and they stand close. SHE places one hand around him and begins to sing, a light, strange song. Then they turn as if to dance. SHE starts singing again and they dance, turning in a circle at the center of the light, pressed close together. After a few moments, they stop. SHE puts both of her arms around him tightly. HE does the same.

 

HE

I feel your heat, so soft, so hot.

 

SHE

I feel your heat, too, so soft, so hot.

 

HE

I don't know what to do.

 

SHE

Don't let go.

 

HE

I can't.

 

SHE

Don't think about anything else, just us.

 

HE

I am.

 

SHE

The moment.

 

HE

The moment, the time, all that matters is the time, now.

 

SHE

Now.

 

HE

There was no time before this. There will be no time after. Just, now.

 

SHE

Just now.

 

HE

I feel you inside of me.

 

SHE

I am – inside of you.

 

 

SHE slides around him and holds him from the back. HE slides around her and holds her from the back. Then SHE turns and presses up against the front of his body again. HE kisses her. They do the slides again until they are face to face. SHE kisses him.

 

HE

Inside.

 

SHE

Inside.

 

They turn in a circle to unheard music. The lights fade away.

 

END

 

 

FUCKING

 

There is a big circle of blue light on the floor of a dark stage. There are natural sounds and music. You pick it. Two of them are lying naked at the edge of the circle. She is lying on top of him. They are wet but quiet. Some shadows pass in the back. She looks at them, then buries her head back into him. They roll over and he lies on top of her. He looks at the shadows. Then they roll back. She sits up on him and wipes her skin with her hands.

 

SHE
I don't know what it is, but I know everything has changed.

 

HE
It was different. It was better than anything before. It was better than any light or color I've seen.

 

SHE

For some time I was afraid. Were you?

 

HE
Yes.

 

SHE
Why?

 

He sits up and rubs her skin.

 

HE
Because I thought that this was the only time, the last time, and after it ended, we would end. We would be gone.

 

She rubs him and herself.

 

SHE
I thought that everything would come out of me and everything would come out of you and there would be no more to touch and feel.

 

HE
Everything changed. I have never touched and felt this way before. And when I burst inside of you I felt every part of you and nothing of me. I loved every part of you. And afterwards, now, that's all I want,
every part of you.

 

SHE
Do I love you because of that?

HE
Yes.

 

SHE
Do you love me because of that?

 

HE
Yes.

 

They rise and walk to the other edge of the circle. A white shaft of light comes to them and follows them. They put their arms around each other and pull their bodies close.

 

SHE
This is all I want. It must never change.

 

HE
Will it?

 

SHE
I don't know. Who would know?

 

HE
We would know. There is only the two of us.

 

SHE
If it ever changes, I want to be gone, I want to be no more. What else is there? My face inside your face. Your body inside my body. What else is there?

 

HE
There are the others. They also will find this and they will change it. They will make it happen for one, not two.

 

SHE
 How could that be?

 

HE
The others are not like us, they cannot be like us. They will break this apart and make it happen for one.

 

SHE
It will be different. It will go and stop, and go and stop, until it goes no more and stops forever.

 

HE
Yes.

 

SHE
We can go on forever. As long as I can touch you and lick your skin. As long as you can touch me.

 

He breaks away and runs to the center. She runs after him and embraces him from behind, holding his sex in her hand.

 

HE
As long as you touch me. As long as I touch you. As long as there is only the two of us. As long as this is all there is.

 

She holds his sex in both of her hands. He reaches behind and holds hers.

The rest is dance.
 The lights fade away.

 

END


For Arthur and Celice

 

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Iri Kopal | Scene4 Magazine

Iri Kopal is a playwright, poet and painter.
He lives and works in Vietnam.

©2020 Iri Kopal
©2020 Publication Scene4 Magazine

 

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December 2020

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