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Like the aka/ haka bit, Max and the way you catch the uncertainty of how much to say to those providing a service to you. I am reminded of Clint Eastwood in that movie where he painted the town red, High Plains Drifter I think, where he is asked by the barber how he would like his hair cut and he drawls: 'In complete silence'. Bill On Wednesday, December 16, 2015, Max Richards <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Fulness of Time > > We lurk in a shop - > will the rain slacken? > preferably stop - > > watching out for > the car phoned-for > by pressing ‘Request > > Lyft’, in our case - > you may prefer > its rival, Uber; > > whichever, a black > tiny-toy-car speck > darts and dawdles > > over the map > filling the phone-screen. > Now vanished, now seen > > again, taking its time, > which, as you watch it, > may say 2 minutes > > then 3, maybe misses > the turn-off, so 5. She, > sometimes - mostly he - > > pulls up at length, > with a beckoning wave, > and in you pile with > > wet parcels and boots, > exchanging first names, > weather forecasts, > > countries of origin. > The driver from Kinshasa > loves my footballers’ aka! > > Oh? football? their what? > oh, you mean haka, yes. > Yes, my country's luck > > was not being stolen > by King Leopold. > (What an Ubermensch!) > > Bad luck, you Congolese. > What to say next? - > I’m about to expound > > earnestly on Joseph > Conrad and his Mister Kurtz, > but we’re home already, > > amongst Seattle’s settler- > souls not quite at home, > grateful to feel welcome; > > postponing for some future > phoned-for Lyft driver > our other questions: > > don’t you worry about > Seattle’s overdue quake > toppling it into the lake? > > and rising sea-levels? - > the whole Puget Sound > region, its goods and evils, > > suffering inundation > from the engulfing ocean? > - Not in my time, he’ll say. > > What will be will be - > in the fulness of time. > Do you follow me?