Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 01:35:03 -0600
From: Michael Yost <myost@charter.net>
Subject: Nipple shot 1/1 high school

You all might hate this story.  It's a story about Josh and Pete two
high school guys and something they do which offends Josh's father
Louis.  It's about pornography, life, death, approval, and, disapproval,
and finally about differernt points of view.    It was first published
in a literary zine Wanton Spirit. Hope you like it.

Nipple Shot
Copyright 2001 by Chris Yost

"But of course only the best people are here," Henri announced warmly
with a humorous wink which softened the implied snobbery of his words.

"So of course that means you're here," Louis said smiling, shaking his
hand in a show of genuine friendship for the playwright.

An unwanted interloper, Darkness pressed against the windows of Louis'
and Daniel's well-lighted art gallery. The moisture of the southern
summer evening made the glass feel like cold, hard, slick flesh.
Sculptures, paintings, and pottery all done by gay artists were placed
in their appointed places, not massed in a cluttered array, but rather
expertly; properly spaced to their own individual advantage. Exhibits
were routinely rotated to keep the gallery fresh and appealing to the
public. The walls were painted a stalk white, while the floor was an
expensive black marble tile. In its own special corner of the gallery
was Pamela's collection of Greek vases. Tonight was the exhibit's first
showing to the public eye.

"I like this vase, I think," Louis said with a bell-like tone, picking
up a kylix, a shallow, stemmed, two-handled drinking cup used in ancient
Greece, with Dionysus sailing over the sea carrying his gifts to
mankind; a spouting grape vine, and barrels of wine. The god was
accompanied by sporting dolphins.

He held it carefully in the light of the gallery, examining the slip of
shifted clay covering the cup. Holding it by its two handles, he
inspected the curves of its surface, feeling the magnificent smooth and
ancient touch of the cup on his examining hands.

"You are looking at my favorite drinking cup," a purr vibrated in his
ear, accompanied by a slender arm which held his thin waist hostage.

Pamela's red lips presented themselves for an uninteresting kiss from
Louis.

"It was very nice of you and Danny to give me the opportunity to show
off my collection," Pamela said, shimmering in her silk skirt and blouse
of iris colors, deep, dark purples blended in with threads of woven
gold.

"It was nice of Mark to contribute his terracotta oil lamps also," Danny
said, taking up her gloved hand to be properly kissed.

"Those nasty things," Pamela said with a dismissive frown, "They're are
simple pornography for curious onlookers. Look at that silly one. A
Jupiter being serviced by a Gamymede. It's too embarrassing, wretchedly
tasteless."

"I can't say it's pornographic," Louis said mildly, "The painting in
terracotta of Jupiter is a triumph if the mature male anatomy, the grain
growing in the back ground, and the gracefulness found in Ganymede's
boyish figure gives the whole piece a rather rustic charm."

"Now, you are, as you always say Louis, bullshitting me!" Pamela
scoffed.

"Not at all," Louis smilingly assured her, "I rather think there is no
such thing as pornography unless the subject matter is meant to wound
someone personally. And even then, we are meant to be wounded or
affected in some fashion by art. I sometimes get bored about limpid
moons over quiet lakes with insipid wild life in the foreground.
Sometimes I prefer ugly art. Art which is so tragic you go away being
stabbed by the absurdities which makes life bleed. I like that: skulls,
blackness, tortured nudity, lonely lives trapped in the meaningful cages
of sculpture or paintings. Take Eugene's Delacroix's, "Medea". His
version of a tense Medea with her wild eyes and dagger, the woman
scorned by her husband, ready to kill their two, small boys. Dalacroix
called his painting an odious subject and an object of art. A genus of
rage, guilt, and horror compiled in an unspeakable act of a mother
murdering her children."

"You haven't a clue what you're talking about! Art is supposed to be
inspiring, to tug a person out of the sameness of everyday life. A
pleasant, inspiring experience," Pamela insisted. "What is so inspiring
about old man being jerked off by a young boy's hands?'"

"Nudity is beautiful," Henri said smiling, "I never saw a nude which I
didn't appreciate."

"There is a painting I'm partial to. Emil Nolde's painting of "St. Mary
of Egypt among the Sinners." She is depicted to look Jewish, her
breasts, her body painted in lurid tonality of bright colors. The men
reach for her breasts. Their faces ugly and lewd. Her message, her being
a saint, a witness to the resurrection, is vanished due to the vulgarity
of her sex. And I can't help but feel compassion for them all. For her,
in that her self-worth is being ridiculed. For them, the sinners, in
that they can't see her beyond the sensuality of her flesh. There are
places in our psyche which beauty can not reach. Only ugliness and shame
will do for these places."

"By you definition isn't the painting of 'Mary and the Sinners'
obscene?" Danny asked, "After all it's putting down a woman who actually
lived."

"Non, by using the symbol of a saint for woman, Emil Nolde's painting
draws us into feeling compassion for any woman or man who's flesh is
being used in an ugly fashion. Women, men, children with their legs wide
open, sex toys perhaps inserted, his painting reminds us however a
person is used there is more than the physical to a person, there is the
hidden spiritualness of a person which too many of us would rather not
see. They prefer to be the gawkers, and the fun makers. Life is
sometimes ugly art. I, myself, prefer to paint about this facet of
life," Louis said with a maddeningly, refined smile. His smile hid the
fit of being timid that he always suffered under when he felt he was
being overly bold in his opinions.

He's such a complex being, Henri thought, All things in the world mixed
together and shaken. One moment he is shyness, then complete confidence,
other times he's all sternness, especially concerning his son:
Josh-related issues. Then without warning his punitive frown can break
out in the most boyish, humorous smiles.

"Louis, Daniel, let me congratulate you on another well done exhibit,"
Michael - an up-and-coming young lawyer with many interests, art being
just one of them, said. heading for the four, "Pamela you will have my
best review of the season on my zine. This is a marvelous exhibit."

Taking Louis' hand to shake, he said teasingly, "I couldn't help but
overhear your conversation. You don't think anything is pornographic?
What about you son Josh's newest photograph?"

"Michael how pleasant of you to drop by, and bring up that topic I
prefer not to hear mentioned," Louis said through clinched teeth.

"I thought it was, I well, that's some photo of Pete! I mean his light
brown hair brilliant in what ever light they used, waving about his ears
and face while he was propped over Jason who was in his death bed sick
with AIDS. The scandal of it all! The look of rapture on his face as he
licks the forehead of the dying, young man's flesh. It was awe
inspiring. And the tactful show of half of his nipple," Michael said
with hearty, lustful appreciation for Josh's work, not to mention Josh's
partner, Pete. The biggest tragedy of his life had been losing Pete to
Josh the jock. He knew he had it coming losing Pete.  Pete being yet
still in high school was way too young for him.  And eighteen year old
Josh was every high school boy's dream of either being just like him, or
getting to sleep with him.  Still, Michael thought wistfully to
himself `If only Pete could notice he deserves someone like me.'

"The nipple in question was purely an accident," Danny said crisply,
seeing a blush of hot annoyance settle into Louis' cheeks. "They both
assured me while the young man was dying he tore open Pete's shirt, and
well, the photograph turned out so well, they decided to submit it to
various magazines. "Attitude" a gay magazine, picked it up. Pete does
photograph well, doesn't he? He has model's bones in his face."

Michael said smiling, having fond memorys of his friend, " I know Jason
wanted it to be private. Josh was so good at shadowing and shading
Jason's face no one could recognize the him, and he was also nude, so
there was no tell tale clothing which could identify him to anyone who
personally knew him."

"Josh also air brushed a tattoo he had on his shoulder. I felt it was a
very beautiful composition of the transference of vitality and life to
death. And of gentleness and the courage of compassion. I thought it to
be very moving, and yes, a little disturbing," Danny offered.

"I was moved also. It stirred in me a kind of wonder," Michael mused
dreamily.

"I'm sure you felt to be moved," Louis said sarcastically "I thought it
to be a bit overboard, and I told them so in no uncertain terms. It was
disrespectful to the poor, dying lad, tactless, intimate, too
revealing."

"Josh and Pete both have explained to you over and over again the boy
consented to the photograph. He wanted to be held. Yes, the nudity was
probably not the best way of going about it, but it was his last wish to
go out of the world as he came. His had plenty of well wishers, but his
flesh was lonely. He wanted to be held in a loving embrace. Nothing
sexual happened. The lavender lighting they used gave the photograph a
stark white effect which put a halo around them. "

"Michael shrugged, "I know the significance of the subject matter and
theme. Jason was a wonderful friend, but looking at the photograph, I
forgot the person in it was Jason, he seemed too surreal to be someone I
knew. All in all, it was the shot of the nipple which I liked the best
about it."

The end

Sigh Nifty won't let me  post voilent stories, e-mail me if you want to
read Little Girl's Wake.  Grumbles. Sitting on my Bret Easton Ellis
American Psycho trying to hide it.  I'm normal, really, not really.
Ok,  so he's my favorite author.  And American Psycho is my favorite
novel at the moment.  So, if you want to read more about Louis and his
partner Daniel  try :
http://blessed-be.org/stories/louisblue/louis_1.html first introduced to
Josh's dad Louis Blue
http://blessed-be.org/stories/god/god_1.html Louis meets Daniel and Josh
is born
http://blessed-be.org/stories/body/body_1.html  Louis and daniel become
a couple and adopt Josh, to see what Josh looks like go to
http://unotime-eleni.net/drinkmythirst/kris-characters.htm

warning not only do these stories include group sex, love, family ties,
and romance, and comedy, they include  a little  violence.  Just a
little. A tiny bit. Ok because body beautiful  has a psycho in it.  So
be careful kids this is adult swim with sharks thrown in!