Jack Cox - Dodge Rose

Like we agreed.

Yeah in more ways than one she said quite dryly, dropping her knapsack across her wide shoulder and patting her new plaits.

e n o w i said. wide. woops. there goes monday. open. cell. whats this made of. bumwool. in my. like a flick. a gen lick. peepers. orgen. molten. before. weaver. after. stardust. or before. nema. when theres no. no little people. and the fulness thereof. sitting in the. blank. it was over me. was in it. as if. them. in them. shiners. get wriggling. i said. no use hiding under there. blank. mother. come on chicken stop rucking under there and get up. time to get up. get up. there she is. theres my baby doll. youre getting too old for this. ooplah. now hurry on. have my hands awfully full today without you playing peekaboo. go on get in there. got to spend it. hear her behind me, lift it, whoop, crack, make it again. no going back now. not for ages. not till its time again. golden.

golden. and there was dad at table already with his cup and his plate half emptied and the newspaper held up by its own starch and two well placed fingers. he bent it down. good morning my girl. it was prickly it looked so smooth from a distance. mother comes bustling up from behind. has the milk come in the dumb waiter. yes my dear and the ice. his hand over his mouth. what was that, mite. what did you say.

i love milk.

my little movie star. we will have to introduce you to the neighbours. check it, dear. so much is contaminated.

i thought id go over to plunkett street later see if i can get something fresh for lunch.

fine. we are so well connected here.

you do like it. and its so modern. they have escapes in the well like ours only in manhattan.

yes it is a new home. i feel at home. it is very close to the office. too large but we will have more family.

it needs filling out.

there will be a big family.

we sold too much from the old place. it was hard to imagine that it would be this big, even after seeing it. it is very fine. the tradesmen have to enter wearing suits. did you know that. they get changed in the basement. mr jones told me and now i see them, calling at the door in baroda street wearing suits.

and you are not afraid.

of what, love.

perhaps these razor gangs. of what do they call it, the dirty half mile. i mean of the people. it has seen better days. such grand houses. they say it was built as an affront and as an example. i suppose that is all behind us now.

and we live in the tallest most modern building and there is music all the time and celebrities and i hear theres a little cinema under the roof, did you hear that, a real little private cinema, and trams direct into town and just look out the window. im sure i dont know what razor gangs want with people like us. thats newspapers for you. why the streets are full of children. dont you like it here, chick.

she is a vedette. she likes the attention. everybody up and down the stairs asking for my mite. ah but you take the lift like a little queen. we are discreet.

and he puts his knuckle under my chin and i look into his pale blue eyes and i see myself.

mother is back with the milk and toast that will be warm and soft in the middle. soon we will have to start looking for proper help.

and yet i like you in this apron. you look as you did when i first met you. you do not regret your old home at all. i mean the first one.

dont you miss one.

i am a hothouse plant. i was born in a bank.

that wasnt you it was your sister.

its true i had a soft landing. somebody had to keep his brains. i was being figurative.

cmon chick hurry up and get that down.

i am going to wear something. something. blue ribbon. if you call out in the bathroom there is echo. spit in the sink. a little more water. it is because we are so bare. one part water to two parts scrubbing is mothers way. cold. dad abhorred it. called it the dip but let her do it because he misunderstood and admired all her domestic contrivances. wash my knees. light bulbs. nice little shoes. lovely with straps. so long, dad in his hat and one of those fine tailored jackets rare these days. smell of what do you call it now, aftershave.

in the foyer coming out of the lift we were often caught up by mr george. well met mesdames. what a fortunate surprise. i was just stepping out for some of that hungarian coffee if it isnt too early. ill walk with you as far as the grocers. yes it is a charming frock. what have you been up to this morning. i have just read the most interesting news. you know a man in america has been given a license to make radio with pictures. like they do for the newspapers, i mean the other way around, to send pictures, but moving. truly. what do you think of that. imagine. you could see let alone hear the g.p.o. clock every morning. ha ha ha. and the miniature orchestra. ha. how miniature do you think they are. do you think they are miniature enough to see on the radio. ha ha. he swept off his hat and pushed the door open for us into the blinding light. her golden dress. the sun dazzled in the green trees across the street. i am the dame of acacias, the alley of camellias. i am mixed up. confused, no, what do you say, i am embarrassed. it is so beautiful here i forget myself. what were we discussing.

all manner of souls shuffling over the bright pavement. the tram clanged away down william street. i think. pigeons fluttering out of the coloured awnings of shops. ah yes, radio licenses. well it is a relief you will be able to buy them now free range. listen in on what you want, no need for licenses. thanks to that droll englishman and his comic opera. we are all in the good ship el publico nest pas. and the really fantastic thing is you can choose to listen to the channel with advertisements, which i find highly anglo saxon and gratifying. very informative and often amusing. well i leave you here and wish you a good day. do not stay out too long it is going to be frightfully hot. i think perhaps later i will take a plunge in the dom. see the ships. they come from all over the world now. they are laden with things for you my little one. have you ever seen them dock with all their tiny flags flying, the swollen rusty hulls and the ropes pulling them in. many are your own, you know. and the longest digital wharf in the world. if you dont mind you are making your mark, i say truly you are. do you remember when they made their first annual haul. it was not so long ago they went out packed with wheat and wool and came back from the factories full of wind up gramophones and edison records. cest un vrai conte. if only you were on garden island madame the day they sailed to fight the boers. in flammam iugulant pecudes. belle fin fait. pas des hommes. hats in the air, your upright faces on either side, such, how to say, bully. do you know how many changed their name to king on the first fleet. indeed it is the century of the new nations. you were there. well. at that time, i did not have the pleasure.

you dont believe it is really dangerous down this way do you mr george.

ah no, not for the likes of you. it is the reputation makes problems. they should have renamed the place twenty three years ago when they had the chance. in your herald it said, the old name, with its multitudinous vowels, has become synonymous with evil repute, and the modern resident craves for the final effacement of both with one pass of the sponge across the slate. but that is the past. thanks to god there is more than one newspaper, and that they did not call it palmersham! o woolloomoolethal no longer! o woolloomoolewd never more! when i give up the ghost, all the heavenly host i shall lead to your beautiful shore. on the woolloomoolittoral, fanned by the woolloomoolibertine breeze (bringing landlords who languish surcease from their anguish) well drink to the woolloomoolees; well be the woolloomoolucrative lodgers in woolloomooluxury vast, an eternitys stories shall tell of your glories to the infinite woolloomoolast! that was the bulletin. disgusting really, what you call funnies.