Antonio Matta reads from his novelette Destiny's Stereo about Sapiens Holmes, a trumpet player who breaks down at a party, shatters glass and furniture, and gets arrested. Fragmented voices then spiral through suicidal thoughts, guilt, and the repeated phrase "Last night," exploring the gap between reality and what we imagine happened.
What you are about to hear is an excerpt from the book Destiny Stereo written by Antonio Mata. Sapiens Holmes stares at his faithful best friend of 8 years, Edgar Logos, and at Eric Teller behind his hi-hat and snare. He looks at the beautiful smile of his ever-so-understanding lady in red, Erosa Isle, He watches Topertuni struggle to pop the cork from a bottle of sparkling wine. Sapiens even looks down at the long-legged Thanatosia sitting seductively in pink on the front row. Hoping that this is not an illusion, he forces himself to smile at what he sees as a beautiful gathering of friends and lifts his trumpet to the air proudly. As the words, "I made it," start to form on his lips, he sees his face reflected in the freshly polished brass of his trumpet and slams it down to the floor.
My reality.
As reality slips into my world full of imagination and dreams, I gasp for breath as I sadly realize that my dreams Hard to reach like stars taunt my esteem. Success is a treasure, a state of mind where pleasure dwells. As my head swells with thoughts of uncertainty, it seems I'm stuck in the womb of insanity. Reality for a world full of anxiety, the mentality of one lost soul is inside of me.
Sapiens has hit the violent extremity of his manic state. He storms out of the club, leaving a trail of shattered glass and overthrown chairs behind him. No one knows where he's headed. He wanders thuggishly through the streets, yelling at the air, breaking beer bottles on the sidewalk, and destroying storefront windows with any hard objects he can find. His public displays of affection to insanity However, are short-lived as the police have Sapius in custody by sunrise. Holmes sits tightly handcuffed to a cold steel table in the downtown precinct's interrogation room. What in hell happened to Sapius last night?
Last night.
Last night.
I thought I was going to die. I hurt my friends when I didn't say bye last night. Last night.
I was at my rope's end. I guess my run from the truth led me to sin. After all I said, life is hard, and I just wanted to die in bed last night. I thought I had no reason to understand last night.
People asked me, what is wrong?
I looked at them and told them, leave me alone. The streets I roamed, confused I was last night. Last night, the 45 She sat on my lap.
I cocked it. I cocked it. I cocked it. I cocked it.
I dropped it. Do you believe after that I lost it? My mind. We made it, they said. I love you, she said last night. I thought it was all good, but it was I that was shrinking. Did I commit a crime? Not again.
No, not this time.
Last night. My life, will it never change? On a thin string I hang, wanting to survive with not even a dime. Trying to buy myself away from the pain like other people. It's something inside keeps me continuously drowning in my tears. Me, myself, and my fears. My future flashed, danced with destiny before me last night.
Last night.
