SNIPPETS 1997(Short Pieces on a Variety of Subjects) [01] On Joining ANZAPA(December 1997) [Printed in "Reality Module No.1."] It is like being a late guest at a party. I find groups of people engaged in conversations which have been going on for hours. Everyone else has had time to get to know one another. It's advanced to the stage where catch-phrases recapture the light of conversations past. I am - almost - an outsider. I accept a glass of chilled champagne from the butler, smile shyly, and move to one side to capture what I can of the conversations. In time, I know, I will come to know these people but at the moment I am almost like Columbo gathering evidence, reconstructing lives from casual clues, filtering the humans from the words. Copyright © 1997 by Michael F. Green. All rights reserved. Last Updated: 17 January 2003 |