— [bitchy] She fell because of those slippery socks you gave her .

— [skeptical] Hmm .

Later, again on the phone :

— Mother, did you fall because of those socks I gave you ?

— No . I tripped over that stupid dog .

The dog in question : little, white bulldog .

A couple of weeks later, I visit my recuperating mother . Everyone is in the living room when Mother warily creeps around the edge of the room .

— Mother . What are you doing ?

— That dog is trying to kill me !

The moon bestimmen
A septimal stemming :

Of time unending
Into space : bending
Ever into calends
And bookend weekends .

A candle lit in the wind
Of darkness.

   Now, Steve is Lendl, Scott is McEnroe in this future tennis champions’ pair : Steve, methodical ; Scott, apocalyptic .

   Racket innovation spells the end of the wood–framed classics of yesteryear, but one day a broken, tangled mass of abstract racket of this ilk is uncovered amidst leafy debris by the fence edge .

   Henceforth, instead of the usual anger outlet of launching his good tennis implement, Scott would intone :

   — Bring in the stunt racket !