A phantasmagorical twilight outlined the skyscape:
a braced structure of cases and frames.
You look tired, the other noted.
And the saying, of course, made it so.
She was now in high dudgeon. What she needed, she said,
was caprice and a cocktail shaker.
A slim satin dress sewn tighter than truth.
The danger of languid and largo, Ham said,
was that of an egg left leaning against a white wall.
He suggested the game where giraffe meant mischief
caused by absence of thought; octopus: deep end,
a downfall. Fan: flirtation; comb: a false friend.
A fork in the shadow of a cup denoted conclusion
was about to be reached. Of course, the practice was more
than the theory and some symbols doubled the odds:
acorn, for example, could be either instant success
or someone would soon burn a bridge.