— Man that quarter out there… she’d sunk back, a hand dropped scratching where her leg lay fallen wide — did you stick it there man?
— Told you come in look out one eye yellow other eye seeing green try to put two God damned thoughts together make an idea… he caught his balance on H-O, reached the blue folder — God damned friends getting indignant tell you bring him out, tell you bring him out like he is little crippled maybe don’t give a God damn, quick and dirty just dress him up a little bring him out anyhow go back waiting, plump the God damned pillow move a clause around…
— Did you man? glue that quarter there?
— Told you tale, tale… pages flapped under his hand — for though the tale left right here for though the God damned eyes wipe his chin wave his stick figure out what the hell he, for though, for now the pencil where’s a pencil God damned clauses look just turned around pencil quick…
— You did didn’t you man, you glued it didn’t you…
— Clauses turn right around look. For now long after Wilde had withdrawn to join the compost smoldering in Europe with Pater’s recipe for success in life, the tale how for art’s sake he’d faced Leadville’s bullies to a standoff continued to amuse here where invention was eliminating the very possibility of failure as a condition for success precisely in the arts where one’s best is never good enough and who, now the song would play on without losing a note, could resist the temptation to shoot the pianist? How’s that.
— How’s what. Look man I mean…
— What don’t like it?
— No I mean I don’t get it, like I mean I don’t even understand it.
— God damned problem not read to be written aloud you read it then start here read it, here.
— What like here? The only rat, rational method of art criticism I have ever come across Wilde had observed, now elsewhere and dead, a mildewed chimp, and Ste…
— Chump God damn it says chump not chimp, here…
— It says chimp man look chimp, c h i…
— Chump mildewed chump think Crane call Wilde a God damned chimp?
— Man how do I look out, I mean that’s my ankle…
— Chimp make it sound stupid don’t you, hate it try to make it sound stupid…
— Hate it man like how can I hate it I mean I don’t even know what it’s about…
— Shoot the God damned pianist what it’s about just told you, player piano play by itself get to shoot the pianist just read it God damn it says it right here, here where invention was eliminating the very possibility of failure as a condition for success precisely in the God damned arts there, says it right there.
— It says what, I mean this player piano where does it say that.
— Invention says right there invention God damn it means player piano…
— Man I mean that’s what I mean, like I mean if it says it why doesn’t it say it? And I mean this is the name of the book agape agape? that’s the name of it?
— Can’t, look pē mark right over the God damned e pi eta pē agapē can’t see God damn it? pi eta pē?
— Man like who’s supposed to know piéta I mean…
— Didn’t Christ! didn’t say pietà whole God damned different Christ any God damned use look, book don’t bring a God damned thing to it can’t take a God damned thing from it don’t know something look it up no God damned obligation encyclopedia right here look it up ag, ag, glass golf wrong God damned volume…
— Look man I mean it doesn’t mat…
— Whole God damned point doesn’t matter why agapē’s agape, whole God damned point just look up something else Gordian Knot the, casual bowser look up Gordian Knot the. Known as Chinese Gordon for his brilliant military exploits in that country, Charles George Gordon later undertook the heroic defense of Khartoum where the knot that bears his name of Christ!
— Look out! you could have broke the window man I mean Chairman Meow you scared the shit out of him here kitty, I mean like why’d you throw it at him man here kitty kitty…
— Whole God, damned, try to tell you tell them too God damned late love feast all over shoot the God damned pianist doesn’t matter laughing string whereon mad fingers place of stone Christ, feel like I was born here…
— Man look out that’s my leg…
— God damned many years worth doing God damned eyes follow you start to hate him still waiting shake his God damned stick nothing happen, bandage dry up falls off milk sour world go by out in the God damned sunshine friends finally too God damned embarrassed to ask, come back open the God damned door right where you hate him God damned eyes staring out see where he was going thought you were taking him see what you don’t…
— Look out man sit up I mean you’re hurting my, here kitty…
— Move a clause plump the God damned pillow doesn’t matter wave his stick doesn’t matter cut a paragraph hands on his God damned throat squeeze the whole God damned thing down to a period hate it!
— Wait don’t man I mean you’re tearing…
