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together. But in the morning there was only sand, sullen-strange but no stranger, silicon icon stealing along the limestone sill. So how do I spend my time? Listening to sand, the sand that eats words just as the wind dines on dunes, sand spittering like a rainstick. Attention sand! I say. But after all these years sand ignores the sand man. This is urgent, I cry. But might as well be talking to myself. This sand sounds a thousand zithers, Silurian crwth, Blackfoot flute, each string of the Paraguayan harp and when the tide goes out every footstep has a hissy fit. Now, sand’s aria is in the laptop and in the camera, sand’s atoms split, splitting. 86
page 89
Meanwhile the men have come to recycle roadside platinum. Yes, it is time to admit there is no Jesus in geology so maybe the sandgod is the broompod or the yellowhammer or the thumping hare red as a strawberry, the hare not hunted here one thousand years, and sand it is that hefts the hod that holds the new republic. Alone, I’m always alone in these places. Hail on the left side of my face, sun on the right. I come to a plateau, old gold as a Wolves shirt, but seek a greener arena. And look here, a polished Bechstein, its black sail on the horizon. If there is alarm sand will sound it – the rattle of sand pouring handfuls of herself into an empty tin of throat pastilles. Such music she makes, ragged as a razorshell across the mermaid’s neck. 87

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together. But in the morning there was only sand, sullen-strange but no stranger, silicon icon stealing along the limestone sill.

So how do I spend my time? Listening to sand, the sand that eats words just as the wind dines on dunes, sand spittering like a rainstick.

Attention sand! I say. But after all these years sand ignores the sand man.

This is urgent, I cry. But might as well be talking to myself.

This sand sounds a thousand zithers, Silurian crwth, Blackfoot flute, each string of the Paraguayan harp and when the tide goes out every footstep has a hissy fit.

Now, sand’s aria is in the laptop and in the camera, sand’s atoms split, splitting.

86

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