MS-UoR-1477-8

[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 anything of
that nature always space between if only an inch no
pawing in the manner of flesh and blood no better than
shades no worse if it wasn't for the vows

[0035] no getting out to it that way so what next no question
of asking not another word 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 dried up and the legs dried up whosever
they were or it gave up whoever it was

[0037] stock stilla^[₰] always stock still like that time on the
stone or that time in the st^and stretched out parallel
in the sand in the sun gazing up at the blue 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

[0039] stock still side by side in the sun then sink and vanish
without your having stirred any more than the two knobs
on a dumbbell except the lids and every now and then the
lips to vow and all around too all still all sides wherever
it might be no stir or sound only faintly the leaves in
the little wood behind or the ears or the bent or the reeds
as the case might be of man no sight of man or beast no
sight or sound

[0040] always winter then always raining always slipping in
somewhere when no one would be looking in off the street
out of the cold and rain in the old green holeproof coat
your father left you places you hadn't to pay to get in
like the Public Library that was another great thing free
culture far from home or the Post Office that was another
another plav^ce another time