The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

May 1, 2025
Melite quickly adjusted to life with the beast. It was as if through trial and tribulation, none of it her own design, she had been delivered to a companion who truly understood her. While it could not be denied that they were both imprisoned in the arena, their cell was large and the season fair. They felt no lack of freedom or comfort. King Minos had not given further instructions regarding the fate of the behemoth, so the people of Lato were obliged to continue to provide for it. The handler quickly ceded all duties, beyond delivery of provisions, to the in-house keeper.

written while listening to:  Emanuele Maniscalco - From Time To Time (El Gallo Rojo, 314-49, 2011, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

May 2, 2025
Because Melite made herself useful in the feeding and care of the behemoth, the locals provided for her too, bringing daily bread and leaving two amphorae, one with olive oil, the other wine. A brown and purple bruise stretched down her ribs from her armpit to her waist, where she had been struck by the handler. When she requested a salve and gauze to wrap her injury, it was delivered the next day, providing some relief. However, when she asked the handler his name, he refused to answer, having no interest in establishing a personal relationship with a condemned woman.

written while listening to:  Guillaume Gargaud - 17 Compositions (New Focus Recordings/Panoramic Recordings, PAN23, 2021, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 3, 2025
In the absence of human fellowship, Melite found ample opportunity to get to know the behemoth. She intuited that the beast was female, an assumption later confirmed by discreet, visual observation. Henceforth, she regarded them as a pair of foreign women on sabbatical in a remote mountain resort not far from the sea. "The air is healthy here," she reassured her companion. As for the beast, she grew accustomed to the ibis and her strange, soft calls, which curiously bore almost no resemblance to the oinking and honking of such birds in her homeland.

written while listening to:  Anthea Caddy & Magda Mayas - Schatten (Dromos Records, Dromos 007, 2011, Portugal, cd, discogs.com)

May 4, 2025
The relationship between the behemoth and the fugitive from the labyrinth was not strictly described as that of a large mammal and an ibis. There was also something of the oxpecker in Melite's role, for when she located a bug nesting behind the beast's ears or a tic lodged in her back, she assiduously removed the parasite. In general, the beast tolerated this attention and seemed to appreciate the ministrations. Only once did Melite fail to heed the signs that the behemoth wanted to be left alone. For that, her friend defecated and, with a swat of her tail, flung excrement her way!

written while listening to:  John Butcher with Derek Bailey & Rhodri Davies - Vortices And Angels (Emanem, 4049, 2001, United Kingdom, cd, discogs.com)

May 5, 2025
Throughout the day and into the dusky hours before the pair retired, Melite spoke to the behemoth. Her companion proved a good listener. She rarely interrupted and then only to murmur a wheeze or a squeal. She refrained from the vociferous bellows that had resounded through the arena on Melite's arrival, as no trespassers appeared to challenge her dominion over the territory, which she now claimed. So it was that the beast became Melite's confidante, the sole being with whom she shared the truth of her time in the mine and her courtship with its denizen.

written while listening to:  Mamoru Fujieda & Keiji Haino - Homeogryllus Japonicus Orchestra 2004, tracks 1 & 2 (Great YEar Soundings, no catalog #, 2005, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

May 6, 2025
A late spring rain paid Lato a visit before the long, dry summer began in earnest. The behemoth emerged from the marsh to enjoy the sensation of fat drops splattering upon her back until the thick, gray hide was saturated and rivulets ran down her belly and legs. Melite took shelter beneath a slight overhang in the chasm that led from the arena to the gated entrance. From this perch, she watched the beast find a joy in the cloudburst, which she had previously supposed to be a privilege limited to children and farmers.

written while listening to:  Joëlle Léandre, Robert Dick & Miya Masaoka - Solar Wind (Not Two Records, MW986-2, 2019, Poland, cd, discogs.com)

May 7, 2025
As their first weeks together passed, the beast seemed to suffer increasingly from mood swings. After gorging herself on the bale of hay left by the handler, then wandering through the marsh to sample choice reeds as a sort of digestif, she retreated to the deepest part of the stream, where the buoyancy of the water lifted the weight off her feet. The ibis did not venture there for she was not a tall bird and the water too deep to wade. Although they remained in sight of each other, this intentional distancing by the behemoth elicited a hurtful feeling of loneliness.

written while listening to:  Dan Deacon - All Light Everywhere, sides C & D (Canadian duck tapes, CDT09, 2024, United States, lpx2, discogs.com)

May 8, 2025
The beast's moody behavior continued, causing Melite to recall visits to an older cousin who, upon her marriage three summers past, moved into the house of her husband's family. During the late stages of her cousin's first pregnancy, Melite had gone to see her almost daily. She had entertained her with her company and often, when all else failed to soothe her discomfort, had sung to her lullabies and other gentle songs. It was this recollection that prompted Melite to wake up early one morning with the abrupt realization that the behemoth was pregnant.

written while listening to:  Henry Grimes, Roberto Pettinato, Tyshawn Sorey & Dave Burrell - Purity (Sony Music, 8872 542082 2, 2012, Argentina, cd, discogs.com)

May 9, 2025
Observing the behemoth from the front, Melite saw how the belly swelled out on both sides. She scolded herself for having taken so long to recognize the obvious. Yet, this was her first experience with a behemoth. How could she be to blame for thinking of the whole species, male and female alike, as obese monstrosities? Still, forgiveness came easily to Melite and she pardoned herself for the error. Her steps splashed in the shallow water of the marsh as she ran to the bank of stream, intent on making amends for her past neglect.

written while listening to:  Nicole Mitchell & Haki Madhubuti - Liberation Narratives (Black Earth Music, BEM 2017, 2017, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 10, 2025
Once the condition of the behemoth was apparent to her, Melite requested additional food from the handler. "She's eating for two." Initially, the man dismissed her claim but Melite did not relent. Her persistence eventually overcame his doubt, in part because he had begun to independently share the high priest's suspicion that the girl and the beast were linked by more than mere circumstance. A second, material motivation soon entered his mind. It would be a great credit to him to successfully replace the beast that had perished in transit. Perhaps a bonus awaited him after the birth.

written while listening to:  Ches Smith - Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic Records, PR 31, 2024, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 11, 2025
Seen through the lens of pregnancy, the beast's irritability and sporadic preference for solitude seemed perfectly understandable to Melite. She respected a mother's needs. When the behemoth moved into the shallows, Melite approached and meticulously ran her fingers over every inch of the exposed hide, massaging the flesh and dislodging insects where she found them. The behemoth responded immediately; her muscles relaxed and low, contented murmurs issued from her enormous maw. In this way, her transactional tolerance for the ibis began to be replaced with something akin to affection.

written while listening to:  Roscoe Mitchell Quartet - untitled (Sackville Recordings, 2009, 1976, Canada, lp, discogs.com)

May 12, 2025
At those times when carrying the baby wore excessively on the mother, she grunted in dismay and retreated midstream, where she sought solace in submerged slumber, reflexively bobbing to the surface for breath every few minutes. When sleep would not come, she moaned forlornly from the water. She noted that the ibis now changed her tune. The calls were simple and gentle, designed to soothe her. These lullabies were unfamiliar to her but, as this was her first child, there was much new to her in the whole experience.

written while listening to:  Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp - Fruition (ESP Disk, ESP5070, 2022, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 13, 2025
Knowing nothing of the needs of the infant to come, Melite attempted to imagine all that it might require. Presumably, it would be nursed by its mother. As the rainy season had passed, the long hours of unbroken sun prompted Melite to herself wish for shade. The arena was completely bereft of both trees and shelter. Her argument to the handler that the baby behemoth would die if exposed to the sun all day found purchase. In convincing him to build a small pavilion, she intimated that she possessed a telepathic connection, with which she could protect workers from the beast.

written while listening to:  Bloomers - Cyclism (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1215, 2025, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 14, 2025
On the day of construction, the handler led a group of nervous laborers to the edge of the marsh where the solid ground could support a structure. The behemoth eyed them warily but at all times did the ibis stand as sentry between her and the men, emitting no sound of alarm. Four round posts, arranged in a square, were driven into the ground, with a fifth taller post placed in the center. On each side, the roof sloped down, resulting in a pyramid raised on stilts. Not thatch but clay tile covered the surface to reduce the demand for maintenance.

written while listening to:  Laura Cocks - Fathm (Relative Pitch Records/Out Of Your Head Records, RPRSS041/OOYH001, 2025, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 15, 2025
That night Melite followed the behemoth when she moved under cover of darkness to investigate the strange copse that had sprung up in a single day. The scent of man remained heavy on the earthen floor and she seemed not especially impressed. However, on the following morning, the handler left the day's hay in the pavilion. After leisurely consuming her meal, the beast did not immediately return to the stream as was her usual habit but lingered in the shade of the structure. The ibis likewise enjoyed the respite from the sun.

written while listening to:  Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green - Apex (Pi Recordings, PI35, 2010, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 16, 2025
Over the next few weeks, Melite had ample occasion to sing to the behemoth. No human connoisseur of the musical arts would have found her voice worthy of presentation in a public venue. That said, neither are ibises highly regarded for melody or pitch in their songs. Listeners who prize emotive weight over technical acumen would have found nothing wanting in the gentle songs of Melite. As the beast neared the end of her pregnancy, she drew warmth and security from the flow of notes that carried over the sluggish waters of the marsh.

written while listening to:  Linden Pomeroy - Remien Vigilia (Ramble Records, RAM-143, 2023, Australia, digital files, discogs.com)

May 17, 2025
While we are not privy to the precise age of the behemoth, she had been raised in a herd among her own kind. She had witnessed other females disappear for two weeks before returning with a new calf. Every two or three years, her own mother had left the group to find a solitary spot where she could safely give birth to a sibling. Because the beast regarded the ibis as an element of her environment, rather than a distinct creature who might compromise her privacy, she allowed the bird to remain within the arena when her own calf was ready to emerge.

written while listening to:  Oliver Lake Quintet - Expandable Language (Black Saint, BSR 0074, 1985, Italy, lp, discogs.com)

May 18, 2025
Melite anticipated the delivery any day now. The behemoth prepared a bed of trampled reeds but abandoned it at the last moment. In neck-deep water, the baby was born. Though observing intently, Melite saw little of the actual birth, due to the reeds and the mud swirled up by the mother's feet. She disappeared into the stream. Moments later a miniature behemoth face appeared, nudged to the surface by its mother. It swam beside her long body until they reached the shallows where mother and child nestled against each other.

written while listening to:  Chet Baker - Once Upon A Summertime (Artists House, AH 9411, 1980, United States, lp, discogs.com)

May 19, 2025
The mother led her newborn onto land and within minutes the baby was walking, albeit clumsily. She guided it to the bed that she had prepared. Melite kept a safe distance from the pair—too far to see if the baby was a boy or a girl. Still, in its first actions, the infant, despite an initial disorientation, possessed a precocious aspect that struck her as male. Later this premonition would be confirmed. Wide-eyed, the son circumnavigated his mother to her consternation. Eventually she lay down and he began to nurse with considerable gusto.

written while listening to:  Hank Mobley & Lee Morgan - Peckin' Time (Blue Note, BLP 1574, 1959, United States, lp, discogs.com)

May 20, 2025
The baby was enormous. Measuring well more than a yard from nose to tail, he weighed at birth more than the ibis, who was admittedly petite. During the first few days, Melite stood apart, allowing the maternal bond to form unimpeded. Still, the boy noticed the presence of another. Several times he had every intention of racing off to introduce himself to her, before his mother hastily corralled him, placing her body as an impassable barrier between them. She glared at the ibis, who fluttered off until something else caught the boy's attention.

written while listening to:  John Zorn - Filmworks V (Tzadik, TZ 7307, 1996, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 21, 2025
As was customary, Melite named the child on the tenth day. She had not given the mother a name, as she supposed the behemoth already had one, unknown to her. The boy, born to two worlds, would have the name bestowed by his mother as well as a human name. She called him Theopompos, which meant "sent by the gods", for she believed, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the birth of a behemoth on the isle of Crete was more than a random act directed by the cruel actions of men, intent on discovering new ways to kill their fellow man.

written while listening to:  Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra - Live At The Adler Planetarium (International Anthem Recording Company, IARC0087, 2024, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 22, 2025
As mothers of all species scattered across the world know well, raising a child is both a labor of love and a never-ending task. In those first days, the behemoth slept in short spells, for she vigilantly kept an eye on her son, lest he float away in the stream or wander off on land. By the day of his naming ceremony, he had worn his mother to the point of exhaustion. Had she born him in her herd, other female behemoths would have come to her aid, offering their baby-sitting services while she replenished her resources, eating and sleeping.

written while listening to:  Gastr del Sol - The Harp Factory on Lake Street (Table of the Elements, K 19, 1995, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 23, 2025
In the absence of helpful matrons, the weary behemoth collapsed in a deep sleep on the reed bed. Her son stayed by her side only a few minutes before he rose to explore the arena. Enamored with his freedom, he raced in circles around the poles of the shelter. His happy squeals were muted for he did not wish to wake his mother. He next wheeled about Melite who stood still as a statue. When he rubbed his smooth body against her legs, she bent and ran her fingers along his back. "Pleased to meet you, Theopompos," whispered the ibis.

written while listening to:  Sonny Rollins - The Complete Prestige Recordings, disc 4 (Prestige, 7PCD-4407-2, 1992 (rec. 1954, 1955 & 1956), United States, cdx7, discogs.com)

May 24, 2025
Waking, the behemoth neither heard nor felt the breathing of her son against her. She leapt to her feet in a panic. Not thirty feet away, she saw her son cavorting with the ibis. To be honest, Gentle Reader, we must speculate regarding the thoughts that flit through the alien mind of the behemoth. Yet we feel comfortable in suggesting that, after the first wave of relief at finding her son safe, she felt a tinge of pity for the poor bird, who hopped about on one foot then the other as the baby chased her. Her tittering calls dispelled any cause for worry.

written while listening to:  Milt Jackson & John Coltrane - Bags & Trane (Atlantic, SD 1368, 1961, United States, lp, discogs.com)

May 25, 2025
So it came to be that, of necessity, Auntie Ibis filled the vacant role of the sister behemoths who would otherwise have looked after the baby. In less than a week, the mother had come to terms with the arrangement. She had scrutinized the behavior of the bird but did not find it wanting in attentiveness. When her son ventured into the stream, the ibis followed, keeping him from waters deeper than she dared tread. On land the pair were inseparable. With admirable patience, Melite did not tire of entertaining her charge but engaged him until, his youthful energy spent, he returned to his mother's side.

written while listening to:  Marc Ribot - Silent Movies (Pi Recordings, PI34, 2010, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 26, 2025
Like babies everywhere, Theopompos did not sleep through the night. His mother preferred to pass the hours from dusk to dawn in the cool comfort of the stream. When just after midnight the baby wandered onto land for the third time, his mother did not immediately follow. Auntie Ibis walked to the bank, luring him to the reed bed. She dared to sit down in this hallowed spot, and the mother did not protest. Discovering an occupant in his bed, the baby playfully butted her in the shoulder with his head, nearly knocking her over.

written while listening to:  Akira Sakata, Yoshihide Otomo, Bill Laswell & Tatsuya Yoshida - Tokyo Rotation 2 - Day 3 Set 2 (self-released, no catalog #, 2021 (rec. 2007), United States, digital files, discogs.com)

May 27, 2025
Auntie Ibis and Theopompos reclined in the bed. Starlight illuminated their affection for each other as if they were jointly tucked beneath a tangible, gossamer veil. The younger, ever curious, desired to know more about the bird. Though she was crouched now, she typically stood slender and erect in the sunlight. What made her do that? His investigation took not the form of questions but of nuzzling. By prying her arm away from her torso and inserting his snout between them, he hoped to find in her scent the secrets of her strange way of being.

written while listening to:  Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard & Quatuor Bozzini - Colliding Bubbles (Important Records, IMPREC531, 2024, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 28, 2025
Let there be no doubt that Melite felt the privilege in having been granted the unsupervised care of Theopompos. She knew keenly the unreserved love with which the mother doted on her son. To be allowed to take up this duty when the behemoth needed sleep seemed to her an unearned honor. She asked herself, "What have I done to deserve this good fortune?" Melite's pampered childhood had prevented her from developing the ordinary mechanisms for coping with hardship. Her resulting unconventional attitude was her own way of carrying on.

written while listening to:  Grachan Moncur III - Some Other Stuff (Blue Note, BST 84177, 1965, United States, lp, discogs.com)

May 29, 2025
Although looking after Theopompos occupied most of her time, Melite did not neglect to care for his mother. When the baby slept, she waded into the stream and examined the behemoth for parasites. The short-temperedness that the mother had exhibited while pregnant was gone and she gracefully accepted Melite's ministrations. If anything, the shared labor of raising the child seemed to have rendered her more tolerant. She lowered herself in the water to make hard-to-reach spots accessible. As is not uncommon in the wild, the bird climbed onto her broad back for best vantage.

written while listening to:  Michael Nyman - Drowning By Numbers (Virgin, CAROL 1646-2, 1988, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 30, 2025
Theopompos woke from a restful nap in his bed to discover Auntie Ibis perched upon his mother's back, running her fingers over the wet, gray skin. The attachment between the pair was evident in their proximity and casual responses to each other. The baby grew envious of the bird, thinking that his mother should shower this kind of love on no creature save himself. He raced splashing through the marsh and launched himself in the river. His best efforts to dislodge the bird drew a rebuke from his mother and more laughter from Melite.

written while listening to:  Cocteau Twins - Treasure (4AD, CAD 412, 1984, United Kingdom, lp, discogs.com)

May 31, 2025
Thereafter Theopompos wanted the bird to perch on his back and attend to him with the same scrupulous attention that she devoted to his mother. In those first months, though he weighed more than the ibis, she still regarded him as a baby with an attendant fragility. She would not obey his wish. With an obstinate single-mindedness, he continued to attempt maneuvers to force her onto his back. A favorite trick was to sneak up behind her. Side-stepping into her legs, he forced her knees to buckle. She fell ever so briefly onto his back, before rolling off the other side.

written while listening to:  Biosphere - Mysterier (Touch, TS 11, 2011, United Kingdom, 7", discogs.com), Bruce Gilbert - Monad (Touch, TS 12, 2011, United Kingdom, 7", discogs.com), Mike Harding - Repaired/Replaced (Touch, TS 13, 2011, United Kingdom, 7", discogs.com), Rosy Parlane - Willow (Touch, TS 14, 2013, United Kingdom, 7", discogs.com) & Sohrab - Between Strangers (Touch, TS 15, 2013, United Kingdom, 7", discogs.com)