The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

September 1, 2025
The Minoan caravan followed a well-established route through the mountainous terrain. The unpaved road wove in a circuitous path, tracing a smooth course between peaks and steep ridges. Early in their trek, the procession passed within sight of vineyards and olive orchards, drawing curious onlookers. As they marched further from the sea, forest subsumed the land. The slopes gave root to pine, beech and juniper, while dispersed through-out were wild olive, either progenitors of the cultivated stock or more recent escapees from the orchards. Melite saw little of the fabled cedar, which grew densely to the north.

written while listening to:  Ares Tavolazzi - Godot e Altre Storie di Teatro (Dodicilune, ED252, 2008, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

September 2, 2025
Djedi-Khnet and the rest of the men were impressed with the command that Melite possessed over the behemoth, for it docilely accompanied them without incident. For her part, Melite was pleasantly astounded by the good behavior of Theopompos. Had they still been in the arena, he would have dashed off in a gallop across the field two or three times in the first hours of daylight. Ten days confined in a cage on the shifting deck of a galley had left a mark on him. He seemed more wary. Careful to match his pace, his keeper did not allow the chain to grow taut.

written while listening to:  Federico Barabino & Guillaume Gargaud - Since Electricity (Circlesandlines Recordings, candl27, 2010, Russia, digital files, discogs.com)

September 3, 2025
They made good time; Djedi-Khnet began to suspect that they might reach Aram-Damascus in two days rather than three. In late afternoon they arrived at the Awali River. The road led to a ford where the water was wide and shallow. Several men easily waded to the far bank. The current was weak with the water no higher than their hips. The wagons too crossed. With some misgiving, Melite removed the shackles from the feet of Theompompos so that he could swim unimpeded. Chain in hands, she climbed on his back. He splashed eagerly into the river.

written while listening to:  Jane in Ether - Oneiric (Confront, CORE 48, 2025, United Kingdom, cd, discogs.com)

September 4, 2025
The men gazed at the keeper astride the behemoth, for none save Djedi-Khnet had seen her atop the beast. Her hair flowed down the length of her back to split across the spine of her mount. As for Theopompos, his kind were capable of migrating modest distances only when drought demanded it. Given the choice, he much rather preferred to remain in water. He had lately made do with the saltwater of the Great Sea, but in the fresh water of the Awali he found true relief. In the middle of the river, he came to a stop and closed his eyes.

written while listening to:  Derek Bailey & Sabu Toyozumi - Breath Awareness (NoBusiness Records, NBCD 166, 2024 (rec. 1987), Lithuania, cd, discogs.com)

September 5, 2025
Simply by remaining in the river, the behemoth made his object abundantly clear. He had no intention of marching any farther today. Orders from the beach to get moving fell on deaf ears though they agitated Auntie Ibis on his back. She rose to her feet and squawked more than usual. He preferred her company when she was in a playful mood. To that end, he rolled like a barrel, tossing her into the water. From the shore, the men laughed good-naturedly. They appreciated the demonstration of her fallibility.

written while listening to:  Keiji Haino & Natsuki Tamura - What Happened There? (Libra Records, 102-078, 2025, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

September 6, 2025
With her chiton drenched and wet hair clinging to her face, Melite looked to the bank. She found Djedi-Khnet staring at her. An apologetic shrug dashed his hopes of reaching Aram-Damascus in two days. He sighed then signaled the superintendent of the caravan to make camp. The matter settled, she remained in the water with Theopompos. She found his joy in the water contagious. While she floated on her back beside him, those men who had not yet forded the river crossed, giving the pair of dawdlers a wide berth.

written while listening to:  Joëlle Léandre - Zurich Concert (Intakt Records, INTAKT CD 402, 2023, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

September 7, 2025
Dusk fell before Theopompos felt the urge to return to land. Melite had already come to shore for dinner. Afterward, she sat on the river bank, keeping a vigilant eye on him. Djedi-Khnet joined her. "I'm sorry," she said, for she knew that her imperfect mastery of the beast had caused them to end their day early. "He won't swim away?" asked the Egyptian, who found the silhouette of the sliver of the beast above water hard to perceive in the failing light. Melite shook her head. "He won't leave me. He's hardly more than a baby."

written while listening to:  Per Wålstedt with Susan Alcorn, Björn Baummann, Joel Grip & David Stackenäs - Bondfasoner (Umlaut Records, UMCD 0003, 2006, Sweden, cd, discogs.com)

September 8, 2025
The concern of Djedi-Khnet for the safety of Melite at night among three score soldiers and laborers was well intended but ultimately unnecessary. Auntie Ibis served as Theopompos' governess and he her chaperone. His attachment to her manifested as a possessiveness easily mistaken for over-protectiveness. Woe to the man who should encroach upon them as she slept! For her part, the keeper interpreted her charge's attention in the most positive light and understood fully the advantages of his company. Grateful beyond reason, Melite regarded the behemoth as a personal blessing.

written while listening to:  David Binney - A Glimpse Of The Eternal (Criss Cross Jazz, Criss 1408 CD, 2022, The Netherlands, cd, discogs.com)

September 9, 2025
At dawn, Djedi-Khnet requested that the behemoth be loaded onto the wagon. Melite felt obligated to try, given that Theopompos had brought the march to a halt yesterday. As they both had suspected, he refused to budge in the direction of the waiting ramp. The Egyptian ordered the chains put back on the beast, only to discover that neither shackles nor chain could be found. "I was holding them when we crossed the ford," Melite recalled. All in camp had witnessed her dousing in the river. She scanned the water in a futile attempt to reconstruct where she had lost the restraints.

written while listening to:  Nicole Mitchell & Alexander Hawkins - At Earth School (Astral Spirits, AS232, 2023, United States, cd, discogs.com)

September 10, 2025
The caravan moved forward with the behemoth in the back of the train, trailed only by the rear guard. The great beast bore no restraints of any kind save the presence of his keeper beside him. He seemed only mildly interested in the proceedings. The occasional yawn revealed his great upward-thrusting tusks. An unkind suspicion lurked in the back of the Egyptian's mind that Melite had intentionally lost the chains, though he chose not to confront her. Djedi-Khnet idly puzzled over the mystery of her innocent manner, be it genuine or clever ruse.

written while listening to:  Mary Halvorson - Code Girl, sides A & B (Firehouse 12 Records, FH12-04-08-027, 2018, United States, lpx2, discogs.com)

September 11, 2025
Merchants—native Phoenicians as well as travelers from Aram-Damascus and the much larger Assyrian empire to the north—brought their goods along this road to the coast. When two caravans met, the behemoth proved quite the spectacle. He strolled in the midst of his company like a deformed, overgrown stallion that refused bridle and rein. Upon his side rested the reassuring hand of the young woman, matching his pace. Aware of the attention, Theopompos straightened up and slowed down so that all could appreciate his immensity.

written while listening to:  Roscoe Mitchell & the Sound Ensemble - Live at the Knitting Factory (Black Saint, 120 120-2, 1990, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

September 12, 2025
They traveled through mountains. The behemoth labored along the gradual ascent no less than did the men and horses. He did not falter but trod beside Auntie Ibis, wherever she led. If he was tempted to abandon the arduous march and return to the Awali, he hid it well. They emerged upon highlands, bound by peaks ahead and behind them. Through this plain, the Litani River flowed south. Reaching the water in the afternoon, the men heaved grateful sighs, for Theopompos entered the river and showed no sign of leaving, effectively announcing the end of the day's march.

written while listening to:  Jemeel Moondoc Quartet - The Astral Revelations (RogueArt, ROG-0081, 2018, France, cd, discogs.com)

September 13, 2025
The road crossed at a point where the Litani was narrow but deep. A Phoenician warlord, now long dead, had ordered construction of a bridge, built from massive, rectangular stone blocks. The river passed through four rough-shaped arches regularly spaced across the span. Unsightly but sturdy, the bridge was wide enough to accommodate a wagon. All in the Minoan caravan crossed over the stones, save the behemoth and his keeper. Only after the sky filled with stars was Theopompos ready for Melite to lead him up the far bank.

written while listening to:  Marilyn Crispell & Harvey Sorgen - Forest (Fundacja Słuchaj!, FSR 22/2024, 2024, Poland, cd, discogs.com)

September 14, 2025
On the following day, they moved from Phoenicia into the kingdom of Aram-Damascus, though no wall nor marker delineated the border. Neither did the sky, the stones or the soughing trees change their aspect. Walking beside Melite, Djedi-Khnet shared the Greek version of the origin of the name of the capital. "Dionysus made this land fertile with vineyards, but a man named Damaskos destroyed them with an axe. For this crime, Dionysus flayed him alive." Melite wondered aloud why a people would name their city after a criminal. Djedi-Khnet agreed that the tale did not seem especially plausible.

written while listening to:  Amy Cimini - See You When I Get There (Relative Pitch Records, RPRSS032, 2025, United States, cd, discogs.com)

September 15, 2025
The city of Damascus was built on a high plateau. The Barada River flowed through it, as did important trade routes. The north-south road connected Assyria all the way to Egypt. The east-west road, along which Melite traveled, continued to Babylon and lands beyond. The city was surrounded by farmland, irrigated by an extensive system of canals. In early fall, evidence of the cultivation of wheat and barley remained. Fruit trees, strange to Melite who did know of apricots, had already been harvested. She saw fields laden with zucchini soon to be gathered.

written while listening to:  Liberty Ellman - Radiate (Pi Recordings, PI60, 2015, United States, cd, discogs.com)

September 16, 2025
They veered south of the city to camp in a field downriver. As the sun sank low in the sky, Djedi-Khnet left with their guide and two soldiers to register their arrival. While Damascus was accustomed to a continuous stream of caravans, the Egyptian desired to avoid any potential alarm in response to the sudden appearance of sixty Cretans outside the city walls. As she stood upon the back of Theopompos floating in the Barada, Melite again lamented that her exposure to a foreign city was limited to a view from afar.

written while listening to:  Stefano Tampelleni & Paolo Tognola - Miniaturae (Ramble Records, no catalog #, 2025, Australia, digital files, discogs.com)

September 17, 2025
At this time, Damascus was ruled by Hazael, a commoner who had murdered his predecessor to take the throne. His notion of governance was limited to maintaining power, rather than promoting the welfare of his people. He conscripted a large military with which he harassed the Assyrians to the north and the Israelites to the south. The tolls levied on merchants traveling through his lands helped fund these campaigns. The presence of a caravan from Crete piqued his curiosity in so much as it represented a new source of income to underwrite his wars.

written while listening to:  Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Bley & Steve Swallow - Conversations with a Goose (Soul Note, 121258-2, 1996, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

September 18, 2025
To his surprise, Djedi-Khnet was roused early the next morning when soldiers from the city arrived in camp with a summons for him to appear at court. He quickly gathered the guide from Sidon and was allowed one additional guard. Escorted past the city walls, he walked along straight streets lined by houses with small enclosed yards. The palace of Hazael was a larger-than-average stone building situated next to a fort set upon the banks of the Barada River. Without ceremony, the visitors were ushered to an audience before the king.

written while listening to:  Chet Baker Quartet - No Problem (Steeplechase, SCS 1131, 1980, Denmark, lp, discogs.com)

September 19, 2025
Hazael was a stout man with deep set eyes and a bushy beard that hung down his chest. While yet young, streaks of gray crept through his long whiskers. He wore as his crown a cloth of striped gold and blue that descended to his shoulders in the back, a style of regalia Egyptian in origin. Djedi-Khnet was certainly surprised to see an Aramean king adorned in the headgear of a Pharaoh. If the monarch adopted Egyptian culture to proclaim his royal station, Djedi-Khnet supposed that he could use his own heritage to his advantage.

written while listening to:  Hank Mobley - Workout (Blue Note, BLP 4080, 1962, United States, lp, discogs.com)

September 20, 2025
Their business was conducted in Aramaic with the Greek of Djedi-Khnet rendered in translation by his guide. Hazael welcomed them to Damascus but made little pretense in his inquiry as to the purpose of the Minoan caravan. Before responding, Djedi-Khnet took from a wooden box gifts, which he presented to the king. They included a set of golden earrings, necklace and bracelets adorned with a bucranium motif. The image of the bull's head evoked the Minotaur, and the power of the Minoan empire. Hazael appeared pleased with the offering, ordering a servant to spirit it away.

written while listening to:  John Zorn - Duras:Duchamp (Tzadik, TZ 7023, 1997, United States, cd, discogs.com)

September 21, 2025
Djedi-Khnet conveyed the desire of King Minos to establish trading partners along a route that stretched all the way to Babylon. Of course many goods were already borne upon the east-west road but were received at the coast by Phoenician middlemen. Intending to emphasize the benefits to Aram-Damascus of having multiple clients willing to transport these wares across the Great Sea, the Egyptian continued, only to be interrupted by Hazael. "You have a behemoth," he declared. Djedi-Khnet nodded. "I have never seen a behemoth. Bring it here." With this curt order, the ambassador from Knossos was dismissed.

written while listening to:  Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Electro Acoustic Ensemble - The Space Between (Delmark Records, DE 5007, 2013, United States, cd+dvd, discogs.com)

September 22, 2025
Returning to camp, Djedi-Khnet discovered that Melite had slept in late with the beast by her side. The morning light illuminated the paleness of her face in sharp contrast to the dark gray flesh of her companion. He was loath to disturb her repose and stood for a while at a safe distance admiring her. The guide approached, reminding him in the unlikely event that something had been lost in translation, of Hazael's intention for the behemoth to be brought to him immediately. Disinclined to do so himself, he ordered the woman to be woken.

written while listening to:  Günter Müller & Jim O'Rourke - weighting (For 4 Ears, CD 824, 1998, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

September 23, 2025
Melite insisted that, while she was willing to visit the king without breakfast, to ask the same of the behemoth would be to invite disaster. The morning fodder was unloaded from a wagon and placed before Theopompos, who, sensing that something was expected of him, took his sweet time with the meal. When Auntie Ibis encouraged him to quit playing with his food, he generously offered her some as a sign of his good intentions. For an hour, Djedi-Khnet paced and grew increasingly impatient. Finishing his food, Theopompos waded into the river.

written while listening to:  Sonny Rollins - The Complete Prestige Recordings, disc 5 (Prestige, 7PCD-4407-2, 1992 (rec. 1956), United States, cdx7, discogs.com)

September 24, 2025
"No!" shouted Djedi-Khnet at both beast and keeper. It was not time for a leisurely bath. "A king awaits us!" This was the first instance of the Egyptian shouting at Melite. She flinched and her gaze fell to her feet. She made sure that her earnest entreaties from the river bank were heard by all because she correctly predicted that they would be ignored by the one to whom they were directed. She too then entered the river, hoping to coax Theopompos ashore. The behemoth affectionately nuzzled Auntie Ibis with his broad, whiskered muzzle.

written while listening to:  John Coltrane - Coltrane Time (United Artists Jazz, UAJS 15001, 1963 (rec. 1958), United States, lp, discogs.com)

September 25, 2025
From the bank, Djedi-Khnet explained for the eighth time that Melite needed to get the behemoth out of the river. Growing frustrated, she asked, "What are we going to do? March him straight into the palace?" Djedi-Khnet frowned before responding, "I suppose if you get him to the front door, that will be good enough." Because the behemoth would not obey, she complied without protest to the request to come ashore and arrange her hair with the silver pins purchased in Lato. "You must be presentable," he said, "You are going before royalty." Of her drenched clothes, neither said anything.

written while listening to:  Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy featuring Reggie Workman & Andrew Cyrille - The Mighty Warriors, disc 2 (Elemental Music, 5990446, 2024 (rec. 1995), Spain, cdx2, discogs.com)

September 26, 2025
The behemoth simply refused to leave the water. Melite re-entered the river and began to wade upstream. Theopompos swam lazily behind her. Eventually, Melite climbed upon his back and he progressed of his own volition. For a while, Djedi-Khnet kept pace with them along a parallel path on the bank. When the road to the city gate diverged from the river, she called out, "I'll see you at the palace." The Egyptian agreed, describing the large fortification as an unmistakable landmark where she should bring the beast to rest.

written while listening to:  KK Null - Ultimate Material II, sides C & D (Fourth Dimension Records/Dirter Promotions, FDDLP49/DPROMDLP29, 1995, United Kingdom, lpx2, discogs.com)