Читать книгу For Display Purposes Only - David Seymour - Страница 15

Stefan springs forth without remainder. After work

he hits the Classy Chassis. Everyone looks vaguely familiar.

And the food’s better than, which is the enemy of antecedent

good. He slots a quarter and the automated fortune teller

relates intrinsic truths:

Ha ha ha, it talks! Ha ha ha. Drowning

the gallantry of well-spoken women who prognosticate

near the unplayable jukebox. Across the frozen pond

in Brown’s yard the bronze-cast goat brandishes a bolt

for an asshole, licence plates dangle from the blow-torched tree.

Plus a moose silhouette. Each sculptural detail furnishes

a surreal idea of nature for this quarry town. Or for Brown.

From the tailings sluiced off the valuable leach,

from the wonderfully obvious main drag scene,

from frequent maladies, not Stef’s, except for chronic gout,

from the unknown emergencies of his neglected teens,

he assembles his philosophy, his will. The notion actions

make a man doesn’t apply, he’s cancelled them out.

The remainder springs forth obliviously without Stefan.

Ha ha ha, it talks! Ha ha ha. Sure, it’s not that funny, but still.