Armand Guillaumin, "Le Pont De Charenton, Ile De France" (s/f)

The eager note on my door said "Call me,

call when you get in!" so I quickly threw

a few tangerines into my overnight bag,

straightened my eyelids and shoulders, and

headed straight for the door. It was autumn

by the time I got around the corner, oh all

unwilling to be either pertinent or bemused, but

the leaves were brighter than grass on the sidewalk!

Funny, I thought, that the lights are on this late

and the hall door open; still up at this hour, a

champion jai-alai player like himself? Oh fie!

for shame! What a host, so zealous! And he was

there in the hall, flat on a sheet of blood that

ran down the stairs. I did appreciate it. There are few

hosts who so thoroughly prepare to greet a guest

only casually invited, and that several months ago.

Frank O'Hara (1926-1966). Meditations in an Emergency. Grove Press, 1967.