4361. I INVENTED WRITING IN THE HALL

I INVENTED WRITING

IN THE HALL

So unintentional was all of this that I also invented the

ink that flows upward and the page that reads down.

I heard all the pleas, and I took note of what I was

doing : spending Thursday in the parking lot watching

old George the picker trolling the gutters for overnight

change  -  'from the meter people, they just let it drop

and walk away.' George has no need of money, but

I just let it go. What's another nickel in his world full

of woe? Just before the sun-up rising, a bunch of

morning robins are running along the ground.

-

'What's that, what's that you say?' George asked.

'North American Running Robins' I replied, as if

I really knew  -  all these birds are like ricochets.

They bounce from this to that, flitting where they

may, but  -  true it is  -  these robins spend way

too much time on the ground. 'Gunning for worms,

he said, 'just gunning for worms.' If I had to tell

him myself again, I'd really get ill : 'gunning for words,'

I replied, 'just gunning for words.'