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III

13 February
                    a tailor's cutting table
                    in the North Atlantic

                                        the black bird sang
                                        at night
                    where Champollion conducted his business

                                        a winter too dry
                                        and too mild
                                        the lack of rain
                                        caused the leaves to fall
                                        from the butterfly tree
                                                      in the mist
                                                      and not even mist

SMOKE          ASHES              AN ILLUSION
          NOT EVEN AN ILLUSION

do you remember the floating tower
             singing buoy
             coronetted
                         by the seabirds
                                             the two cormorants
                                             from Somerville's ashtray?

14 September 1822
                            blackbird on the wall
                            pecking
                            the ivy berries

                            "it works it works
                            and despite some minor uncertainties
                            I can assure you that
                            our alphabet is the right one"

                                               then there was the return
                                               one sunday morning
                                               on the Fromentine bus
 
in January
there had been the carp

                            the fishtank
                            the bed of ice in the supermarket
                            3 days swimming
                                              in my bath tub
                            the transportation by car
to end
this monday morning
                            in a pond at Royaumont

                           & the same mist