Betting across the board may leave us in
Far deeper trouble than we might by grace
Of circumstance escape from. Even so
Here at the finish, nothing's left to win
Although, surely, something has taken place;
As always
J
the bottom line is all Jor show.
From the Notes of a Traveller
In the mountainous northern portion
Of X - there is a valley quite inaccessible
From adjacent ones, because ofan earthquake
And subsequent rock-slides. It has
Been so for several hundred years. The village
Culture of this valley is quite like that
Of neighboring ones - the language the same,
Save for the preservation of a few older
Word-forms that changed elsewhere
Perhaps because of the influence of travellers' dialects.
But early twentieth-century explorers
All reported the satille strange event:
During the course of all ordinary days -
As well as in the interstices of the ceremonial
Occasions on consecrated ones - a man,
Woman or child of the village might be observed
In brief conversational exchanges with one
Or more listeners. The speaker
Would tell some sort of story, marked
By significant, or perhaps merely structural,
Pauses. These little narratives,
Sometimes very brief, sometimes going
On for several minutes, each concluded in
A prominently framed and significantly
Delivered final utterance.
