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empire builder: introducing

all apologies and explanations aside the three of us (the jolly banker, the cheshire cat, miss) wanted to produce a vision in black and white ink. to pass around to our friendsand put our thoughts into the world. exhort. breathe.share our inspirations and musings. humor us, join us,love us, ridicule us, write us. it s really all the same, we just

want you to read and tell us.

empirebuilderzine.wordpress.com

So to all you future dreamers and lovers and leavers,to all those who know theres still something between usthat binds usand reminds us of times that passed,I appreciate you listening to this one mans last gas.In spite of all the words that we cant t to song,Id thank you to take off your eye shades,and please... sing along.

- livin a dream by dr dog

cover and additional photography by chester bennett

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JAYZ s COUP

Bang.

bam.

im the new sinatra.

if yall hear the anthem,

tell me

how

would i get to kansas,

if i were the king of the forest?

Yes,

i heard

the sky is falling,

on the other side of the street

is a

safe coup.

the cheshire cat authorship: pp 3. 4.

p. 3

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OFFICE LIFE or COLUMBIA?

the buzzing screen disconnects me, i cant sit here any longer.i meander past burning coffee and an empty front desk.i bare my arms and stride toward the big windows.i dont have to open the doors, magic does it for me.

outside i wander over to a concrete pathacross the green company lawn.at a railing next to a trash cani pick up a beheaded weed and stick it in my shirt breast pocket.

i crush the 12oz coffee stained cup, account for wind, and loft it to the can.i watch small planes land on a historic air eld runway.

propellers buzz and blur and i recall jumping on a track to success,courting bold fonts of my namesakes 1pg achievements to impress strangers.

i want out of the cubicle wasteland of soundbites and powerpoints.this track im on promises all shiny rails and fancy hats,

but now i dream of the bucolic truth in hourly-waged living.

barren of prestige and crystal paper weights.

i drag back into the of ce. they dont notice my wind blown hair.they are a train full of engineers and no brakemen.i feel like plunging boulders onto their wood grained laminate oceansso that splinters y and pencils become weapons of mass destruction.

i sip the dense and thick coffee remains and imagine the devastation.i feel like scribbling i quit in big black smelly ink running out the door and jumping the fence to the airstripto thumb a ride to columbia above the mushroom cloud.

p. 4

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art: mixed media chad bennett

p. 5

ink blot / smudge / construction paper.

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the jolly banker authorship: pp 6. 8. 9.

p. 6

The Hierarchy Of Free Coffee 1. Of ce Coffee - curdli ng black at 2 in the afternoon I need it.Ive still got

two and a half m ore hours to stay awake.Ill trade stomach ache s for promotions.

2. Bar coffee - not the kind with the shot of some liquor. The real thing. I reservethis for desperate nights. Generally I nd bars that serve coffee are soliddives and my tastebuds are all gone to shit by the crucial moment anyway,so its tolerable.

3. Airplane coffee - surprisingly delicious on some airlines, black hot death onothers. Drinking coffee on an airplane is generally a good idea if youregoing somewhere important. If you dont want to be where youre headedorder a jack and coke.

4. Bank coffee - weak, those pussies.5. Rest area coffee - if its a matter of survival, dont worry, otherwise those old

ladies need help with the coffee machine and the cookies dont help, tastingmildy of moldy rooms or a place where windows werent opened for years.

6. Mountain coffee - its the mountains, its usually not the best but it ranks high because: saying mountain coffee sounds cool and you didnt have to brewit off your pocket rocket stove on the ground. Also I know its not free but Iwanted to write about mountain coffee.

7. Doctors of ce coffee - a rarity. Im not even sure it exists but if it did its probably decaf and good for you in some way so whats the point really?8. Jury Duty Waiting Room coffee - rst its in the back of the room, but

the efforts not worth it, climbing over sleeping guys in baseball caps.The automatic machine - all the possibilities. Cappucino. Latte (howdo they manage the milk in there?). Coffee Light, Medium, Strong.Choose strong with good intentions but it lays on top of your dont pick me nerves so you cant even read while youre sitting praying for high

noon freedom.9. Oil change coffee - do they like it strong or is it just inevitable grease mixeswith grounds. Sometimes 15 minutes feels like forever so I pour myself acup, one sip, and let it sit until its, you with the silver avalon - youre allset. Dump it out. Drive away fast.

10. Grocery store coffee - is it practical to drink coffee and shop? Maybe if they put cup holders on the carts. Flat coffee and old donut holes, thats thestandard at pretty much any grocery store.

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art: 35mm photography chester bennett

multnomah falls. portland. mid dec 2009. p. 7

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Oreo Pocorn Oreo popcornon your tongue when we kiss.Ive researched the world recordfor the longest makeout sessionits within our reach. When you wear your old glasses

you remind me of john lennonimaginewe dont have to be lonely people. I think of you

between penitentiariesand junkyards

on the high eastern plains.

Youve changed my lifewith cheeze-itsegg scramblesand oreo popcorn.

Credit Card Longings My thoughts wont stop cominglike credit card offers in the mail. They tease my hopes with possibilitieswe could take a triplike an opportunity to start over this is a limited-time offer. But theres troubles buried in the ne printold wounds, self-doubt, unknown everythingsign up now.

I agreed to all the terms and conditions anywayI shouldve paid attentionYou kept the right to change our agreementat any time. Isnt there supposed to be a grace period?It passed. So I have to be careful with these thingsmy sensitive informationI dispose of them carefullyI light them on re in my backyard. I dont want to leave a trace

someone might steal my identitythese thoughts are everything.

p. 8

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The Protector The Protector was our home. It sat on the West side of Wallingford hill looking downon Lake Union. That hill had incline so the Cheshire Cat could snowboard to work during the winter snow of 08. The house divided in two and we lived in varyingstages of harmony and discord with two sets of neighbors. We arrived with dreams like planting a garden, starting a band, feeling good aboutour place in this city. We managed a big hole in the backyard for the garden but onenight we gathered poets and read to each other which was magic enough. I consider it an accomplishment. In the summer the windows were always open. The music from the record player drifting into the streets. We hosted parties that didnt end until early morning withguests climbing into dumpsters searching for day-old bread, people dancing dentsinto minivan roofs, four on four soccer games in the street. That house couldntcontain our parties.

It was cold in the winter. The windows were old and didnt seal and when I sunk intothe ocean blue couch the chill leaked in through the cracks down to my bones. Wewatched our breath like evidence of the good words spoken. We traded dreams, fears,hard luck stories. We plotted strategies to woo those girls. When we were home there was music playing and bold singing. The fridge was bare,the cupboards contained peanut butter and coffee and an odd assortment of Asiancooking ingredients courtesy of the previous tenants we never used.

Before we left we hosted garage sales three weekends straight. We met our neighborsfor the rst time. Missed greatness. We made people out of lingering unwanted itemsand bargained with passers-by $2 for a guy.

The morning after the last party tofu dogs lay on stereo speakers and crushed tortillachips dusted damp clothes. We put a hole in the wall that last night. The landlordnever paid back our security deposit but I consider it our parting settle-up with TheProtector. We owed plenty anyway.

p. 9

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p. 10

BELIEFS

I gave him backthe dollar, from his pocketthat fell out. Airport

oor, he was surprised,a bit red, thank you-almosta thank you kindly-I think.

I never cheat at board games,It always seemed like the challenge.Called bratty for protesting thatsomeone else did. Not about winning,Id lost either way, justAbout doing right, it isMore fun. Give everyone a chance.

I love football and I knowwhy. At the airport allTVs on deck showing the game .Second string turned sharpshooter against a leader old enoughto have a son in the league.

It did not even matter whoseteam it was (though shoutscame from the wolrds besthamburger place, self proclaimed,hundred yards away) No

jerseys or shit talkin just all these people on holdconnected to this vision of fairplay and champion.Not too long, you know aboutHow long it will last.Captain gives a score update.

I have thing for hotDogs. Ice cream saidto be my favorite meal. Buttheres hot dogs with neonrelish and celery salt.

Or Texas barbeque sausageWithout bun, with nibbletsof cheddar. The half smoke I met today with chili,the only place that racedid not destroy. A love affairbetween a family muslim, blackneighborhood, city symbol to

democracy. Theres baseball tooonly place to get a good dogwest of the Midwest. Nobrats there just mountains andforest, and sometimes a football fan.

miss authorship - pp 10. 11.

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p. 11

V I O L E TWhy is it that older people alwaysremind us of our grandparents?There is an old man on trialfor Nazi war crimes - crimesagainst humanity. His defenseis he just followed orders. At what point

do you give your life for another? Witnessesremember his face, controlling the gas chamber.

I walked up to the bus stop. An old lady, purple hat to match her sweatpants. Clothesall different shades of the chromaticscheme. Green bag, black shoes, navy traditional

plaid scarf. I wish I had said hello before

I sat down. Dont know if Ive ever likedanything as muchas she likes the shade of purple or maybe its violet to her.

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empire builder

feb 19.2010.

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