Adam Thorpe - Ulverton

oh Violet. oh

just throw it on then the other two

you need a rap over the knuckles my girl

oh Mother she’s only little

have another glass Violet smuggled down a bottle go on you’ve a right

then the other two Violet what’s in those look at his face spasms all over his face or is it the firelight big wheel rolls down on fire screams settles in the grass burning like that Catherine wheel that time Father took us to the Municipal do look Gordon & violet look whizz whizz & Guy Fawkes with those bangers in his mouth exploding into flaming straw his face was all spasms I’ll say that oh Violet

white bits falling down into our hair I cd see the firelight in his eyes when I looked & that terrible face that man who burned over Germany & limped back Gordon knew him vaguely knew Kenneth he did oh they do remarkable things now what if he’d lived our Kenneth they’ve put the wheel out a bit of a danger always goes down well what’s in those then my dear tugging & tugging at my sleeve he must have guessed but he wdn’t have believed preferred not to know I spose just bury it what’s in those then my dear old letters dead past yes I know the feeling! guffaws & turns to the fire oh his big nose sweaty & gleaming & the cases they’ve gone now no there’s the last one buckling & burning oh I hope it doesn’t open

oh it does the heat or something.

It did.

bang & the lid’s up & look a bit of paper curling up shoots out & up & up

tiny little white thing above the flames.

he hasn’t seen, arm round Miss Walwyn mouth open like little boy

up it goes tiny little white thing drawing maybe up & up into the night & over those lovely poplars gusting away because there’s quite a gust tonight Violet away from all the fire & tiny white thing like that seagull at Cleethorpes

that last time with Kenneth

I cd have stayed

little white thing over the sea

sitting on the cliff

over all that sea

too much champagne

putting it in at last & stamping down earth I thought the crane wd topple over

oh it’s so demeaning being sick

Philis P-W swore she heard a long-eared didn’t tell her of the stone curlew why shd I don’t have the stomach it’s the bubbles

clapping wolf-whistling from Manor School dormitories that’s what I mean about sitting on the lavatory the type little Ivor Gilchrist used to do better than any wolf-whistles I mean & little speech from him clapping in it goes stone pulled over by big burly men stamping down earth stamping

I’m off tomorrow Mr B. Here’s yr cocoa. You are a funny old stick, Violet my dear

oh fuck off

Violet my dear?

Miss W. pulling him away

oh fuck off as Father wd not ever say no

oh fuck off

oh Violet

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