MS-UoR-1477-7

[0031] muttering that time together on the stone in the sun or that
time together on ^the towpath or that time together in the sand
that time that time making it up from there as best you could
always together somewhere in the sun on the towpath facing down-
stream into the sun sinking and the bits of flotsam coming from
behind and drifting on or caught in the reeds the da^ead rat it
looked like that time came on you from behind and went drifting
on till you could see it no more

[0032] that time you went to ll^ook was the ruin still there where you
hid as a child ^{that last time} straight off the fee^rry and up the rise to the
hight street to catch the eleven neither right nor left only one,thx
one thought in your head not a curse for the olf^d scenes the old
names just head down press on up the rise to the top and there stood
waiting with the nightbag till the truth began to dawn

[0033] when you started not knowing who you were from Adam trying how
that would work for a change not knowing who you were from Adam no notio
notien notion who it was saying what you were saying whose skull you
were clapped up in whose moan had you the way you were was that the
time or was that another time there alone with the portraits of the
dead black with dirt and antiquity and the dates on the frames in
case you might get the century wrong not believeing it could be
yout you till they put you out in the rain at closing-time

[0034] no sight of the face or any other part never turned to her nor she
to you always parallel like on an axle-tree never turned to each
other just blurs on the fringes of the field no touching or any-
thing of that nature always space between if only an inch no pawing
in the manner of flesh anf^d blood no better than shades ^{no worse} if it wasn't
for the vows

[0035] no getting out to it that way si^o what next no question of asking
not another word tot to the living as long as you lived so foot
it up in the end to the station bowed half double get out to it
that way all closed down and boarded up Doric terminus of the Great
Southern and Eastern all closed down and the colonnade crumbling
away so what next

[0036] the rain and the old rounds trying making it up that way as you
went along how it would work that way for a change never having
been how never having been would work the old rounds trying to
wangle you into it tottering and muttering all over the parish
till the words dried up and the head driend up and the legs dried
whosever they were or it gave up whoever it was

[0037] stock still always stock still like that time on the stone or that
time in the sand stretched out parallel in the sun gazing up at
the blue with the glider or eyes closed blue dark blue dark stock
still side by side scene float up and there you were wherever it
might be

[0038] gave it up gave up and sat down on the steps in the pale morning
sun no those steps got no sun somewhere else then gave up and off
somewhere else and down on a step in the pale sun a doorstep say
someone's doorstep for it to be time to get on the night ferry
and out to hell out of there no need sleep anywhere not a curse
for the old scenes the old names the passers pausing to gape at
you quick gape then pass pass on pass by on the other side