hum

Kropp, on the other hand, is more philosophical. He reckons that all declarations of war ought to be made into a kind of festival, with entrance tickets and music, like they have at bullfights. Then the ministers and generals of the two countries would have to come into the ring, wearing boxing shorts, and armed with rubber truncheons, and have a go at each other. Whoever is left on his feet, his country is declared the winner. That would be simpler and fairer than things are out here, where the wrong people are fighting each other.

Up in the stands, Borg was being watched by Mariana Simionescu, who was keeping notes on her feelings during the match, in preparation for a book that was to be her wedding present to him. The previous night, at the Holiday Inn, she’d had a dream: “I am in Greece and Bjorn is far out to sea, and he comes back with a lot of fish. We cook the fish on the beach. Our little house is far above and you have to climb exactly 134 steps to get to it, and we eat there, on the sand, with wooden spoons, and Bjorn has never been a tennis player.”

Among tank-driving soldiers, apricots are taboo, by superstition. Tankers will not eat apricots, allow apricots onto their vehicles, and often will not even say the word apricot.

Sleep And Death

Helen Fisher

In the cosmos

Before lunch

2    x    apple
2    x    banana
2    x    grapefruit (the juice of)
2    x    lemon (the juice of)
3    x    orange (the juice of)

I fill my
head with (truth
goodness and) beauty
if I can’t
find any, I
use the time
to empty it