~ARTISAN
REVIEW
391
cracked orange lips have asked her birthsign and a stunned Taurus
responds. The breadknife-shaved pencil stub proceeds to mark out its
triangles on a large disk. Her exact birthdate is gathered from her and
the intersecting vertices of several triangles are measured in their dis–
tances from a central thumbprint the Taurean is forced to make on
the paper. The day, apparently, has dawned bright for her. The rain
bisects the curve of her joy at about noon. She will be careless today,
she
will
reveal her secrets to a false spirit who will misuse them. Don't
go out of doors. Don't give anything away. Reveal nothing. Drink
hot liquids by the pint.
"I need to borrow some of your clothes."
The old woman has stopped abruptly. Her one good eye now
closes in on the figure of a young girl seated before her.
"Do you ever wash?"
"Mother ..."
"My clothes? What for?"
"I'm going to an affair."
"A formal affair?"
"I haven't any clothes."
Mother Munch stands before her French windows and accuses
the rain. Outside, somewhere, the plants are drowning and no one
will lend a helping hand. She has written to the Authorities, com–
plaining of the character of modern life, but they are too busy to
respond. All about her the trees are leaping, lifting their skirts to the
stars, and there is no one to care. These nights she hears explosions
in
the vicinity and no one will tell her their meaning or the extent of
the damage. Then too, the night has come crawling in sooner, of
late, all to persecute her and keep her prisoner
in
the new decade.
Gunfire awakens her at night and even the War brought no sounds of
this kind. And who are the men that will protect the women from
assault in the dim gutters? And now the thieves have come in on the
wind and steal the very nails from her fitted carpets. The Sun has
gone down already, only a noontime for her, and will it ever rise up
to meet her again? She must inquire of the Chief of Police.
"Get out."
"I only want one suit of clothes.
I'll
never bother you again."
"Nothing from me. You'll steal nothing from me. I know. It's
going round. It's in the neighborhood."
