her tremulous health its sudden onset their intimacy made him think of his own

he was older than she

                        though as a matter of fact he wasnt sure he had been more fit in his life

true he couldnt run like he once did

his knees were pretty beatup

                                but he made his aerobics swimming and he could swim an hour non-stop

he tailored his lifting regime to machines to minimise riskingdislocating his cyborg shoulder

he didnt have what he came in with when he was born

they played backgammon Scrabble did puzzles though favoured shots and beer backed with music to play cut-ups

he had amassed an expansive librarythere were book shelves in every room  a small stand in the bathrooms fiction literature science history art scifi

                                   cut-ups worked well

maybe because of her health she began to use the game to portend answer questions

                                                                                            in the vein of tarot readings

but she would

she was a witch

she had skills about her that were uncannydefied explanation

                                                                  but not everything as he saw it needed to be explained or known

he didnt call it faith

meta- was a prefix that had a lot of roots following it  he slipped her abilities in a slot he called metaphysical

he called her queer uncanny  unexpected

                                             their relationship was unexpected                     

neither impressed the other the first time they met

questioning the cut-up they were going to play drawing from three books why use only one book he said she asked the question they would pursue 

                               How will my health continue?

they sat across the table from each other exercising the question in their particular manner and began when they wished

she began before him

she was better at incantations and concentration

he was better at moving being physical

How will my health continue?

                                he jumbled back and forth between the booksturning them in his hands his eyes closed shuffled them held them one at a time pressed between his handsfingers widespread 

until . . 

        

          and he began opened one book opened his eyes

--  he stands there petrified

--  had more faith in the Jews than in the Gentiles

next book

--  move in freedom

--  the entrance to the cellar, the steps are slippery and soiled with bat dung

--  everything was jumbled and tangled

third book

--  under the arcades, watching the kids

--  always the cluster of vultures who croaked and flopped their dirty wings

second book

--  he looked at me and touched me

first book

--  the menstrual flow carried away the seed

third

--  I love the scripts that flow

first

--  There’s a bunch of green grapes on the table and a bottle of wine

third

--  as if it had been written in lava

he was done  

she was still reading and writing

he sipped his Irish and watched her untroubled beautiful brow it would not pain him to lookadmire her every day until he died

         she would be the best thing he could imagine to see as the last thing he ever saw alive

he reread his piece

he couldnt make hide nor hair of it

maybe she could

she had a third eye

Finished?

he looked up from his revelry

she had no idea when he finished

he couldnt focus like that

I am

You ready to read?

Actually its your turn to read first

Is it?

It is

How will my health continue?

she read her cut-up

it was cogent

it inspired her to maintain the regime she had begun

her cut-up almost said that verbatim

How the hell do you do that

she was pleased with herself it shone in her eyes he only wished she was less harsh with herself and that he could enjoy more often the veritable lighthouse she became

Yours.

Yah  Mine 

            Get a load of th . . 

. . You have to state the question before you read.

I do 

     Wonder why that escapes me time to time

It escapes you because you do not prefer answering a question with a cut-up.                                                                                                                                shining she smiled

No I do not 

              Its your realm  You know it an I know it 

You just like beating me up

Yes. An you like me nursing you afterwards.

Yes

How will my health continue?

                                as he read to her he was distracted by the nursing that would happen later

Twosday,  2  6. 09

1127, Twosday,  15  9. 20