Two Times Table.

Kitchen table – ain’t done that for a long time.

Have I ever?

Anyhow…

Me –obviously – my computer – ditto.

An empty mug – tiger on yellow background. It was previously full of hot chocolate, now empty.

A vase – long, slender (see sketch from earlier) with four freshly harvested daffodils. Smells of spring.

A book about the artist Cristo (bought in Cologne years ago) – was showing it to Ben (part of his education I have decided to assure).

A letter - from someone who knows nothing - telling me I should change my phone.

Ha!

Assorted fruit on a wooden plate with cut heart motif – Kiwis, Bananas and a Clementine.

Might be a Tangerine.

Or even a Mandarin.

It’s orange.

A brush – might be a clothes brush (provenance uncertain).

Homeopathic granules, two tubes – Millefolium and Muriaticum acidium. Both almost empty.

The Kitchen Note Book and a copy of Everything Under the Sun (a daily quiz book – probably targeted to someone a lot younger than myself, but still a challenge – I mean, do you know which is the only animal that doesn’t fart?)

Glasses case.

A bowl of salad for later.

An artist’s model. Miniature and wooden. It probably has a technical name.

Which escapes me.

A dirty t-spoon. (so called coffee spoon by my French neighbours).

Some pine cone roses.

A box containing iron supplement.

Kitchen paper.

A blank postcard from Poland.

Some notes about physical exercise.

A printout of recommended places to visit in Marseille with a phone number added by hand in one corner.

Some coasters.

A Levi Strauss label – formerly attached to some jeans.

And a purse in a box with the image of a panther on the outside (of box).

The panther is black.

The box is white.

The table is brown.

 

 

 

Once, then, a time.

He’s a juggler.

The desk is level, a wine glass – almost empty, just a dribble – sits there upon.

A bottle of wine – not (empty) – sits on the floor beside his foot. 

The glass is heavy, nice to throw. 

He tests it.

The bottle is also heavy, ready to move vertically.

The glass could be pushed, rather than thrown - vertically… and the bottle could be pulled – vertically - to the level of the desk or plus, then as the glass descends it could be stopped on the desk-top at the same moment the wine bottle is interrupted in flight, tipped, and wine would be poured into glass, glass picked up and wine swallowed.

It would probably necessitate two hands.

Minimum.

One hand only would render the whole enterprise worthy of applause.

He picks up the glass.

It feels good. 

He repeats it.

Moves a few things – bottle opener, books, glasses case.

(He is wearing his glasses).

He tests the bottle.

Drops it and the wine spills across the carpet.

An angry wet stain the shape of a pointing, accusative finger.

He used to be a juggler.