Today the post-
woman brought
me the Lone Ranger
& Tonto. Except the 
Lone Ranger is
now no longer alone
because he's got
in touch with his 
inner self, & Tonto 
is a psychic from 
the subcontinent & 
not a Native American
sidekick. Damn these
shades of gray. What-
ever happened to 
black & white, even
when / in color? I 
blame Alan Ladd,
playing Shane with
that small man syn-
drome. & Coop, Gary 
Cooper, the tall silent
one who learnt to talk 
& went off to mix it 
with the likes of 
Picasso. Wasn't a
virgin Quaker bride
enough for him? You
could see it coming
as it neared high noon.
The hero as a man in 
black. Do not forsake 
me, I begged him. Ob-
viously he didn't listen.

 
Today the post-
woman brought
me an unemployed
dancing monkey. Put
me down as some-
one who can't tell
a lymph node 
from a lung, but I 
think there may 
currently be a search 
on for organ donors.



Today the post-
woman brought

me the winter
of our discontent, 

the Arab spring, &
the summer of love.

Plus an apology
from the bookshop 

for being unable 
to fill my original

order, “The Fall,” by
Albert Camus.