Astrid meets the visietor, Darling

Astrid’s sketchan the yoles at a pierheid on Central,

cosh i’the neuk anunder a pilot light,

whan Darling, no lukkan, snappers atwart her, dingan

her styluses ower the skitey deck o the pier.

Thay waatch the gadjets hurl intae the clifts,

Darling speldered intae Astrid’s skirt.

Darling’s haep o sorries an offers o credit

is as gabsie as Astrid’s reassurance is blate.

“I wirno uissan thaim. Better ithoot.”

Darling trys tae mak the fykie transietion

fae shock tae blether wi “Are you visiting too?”

an gars somtheen a weys more precious gang.

But wi the offer o tea, Astrid gies

tae Darling whit sheu’s waantan: lowses the vouels

in her spaekeen, nods an smiles whan Darling yatters

on aboot community, the community,

fills the visietor’s lugs wi the new aaldness

o her staetion haem, spaeks whit sheu disno ken.

An eftir, eftir tea turns tae spirits,

kennan her ploys is waatched by ivry lighter

i’the Hoose, cheussan no tae mynd, seean

the meanan o the lunt in Darling’s een,

carean that sheu disno care, sheu laaghs

at the dunt o the invitaetion an follows the wife.

Thir touchan’s stimmerie joy, trivvlan, agglan,

airtan, error, hixan, delight. Thay both

ken the movs an maan unlairn them noo

fer this new body’s waas, windows, doars.

Astrid taks a guff o Mars again,

an Darling, discovry. Thir tongs tak a gless.

Than eftir, whan the cruisies brighten tae morneen,

wi Darling yet sleepan, Astrid busks an leuks

fae porthole tae bunk, fae the tide tae Darling’s hair,

an speirs o the gods, at dinno exist, if

thir both fund whit thay waant, or need, or no,

or if thir maed hid, or if hid ivver metters.

Astrid meets the visitor, Darling

Astrid is sketching the boats at a pierhead on Central, snugquiethappyintimate in the nook under a pilot light, when Darling, not looking, stumblestammers across her, knocking her styluses over the slippery deckfloor of the pier. They watch the gadgets speedthrowrolldrive into the crackchinks, Darling spreadsplit over Astrid’s lap.

Darling’s many apologies and offers of credit are as voluble as Astrid’s reassurance is shydiffident. “I wasn’t using them. Better without.” Darling tries to make the trickyfussyrestless transition from shock to talkchatramble with “Are you visiting too?” and causeforces something more precious to go.

But with the offer of tea, Astrid can perform for Darling what she wants: loosens the vowels in her speech, nods and smiles as Darling rambles about community, the community, fills the visitor’s ears with the new oldness of her station home, tells her what she doesn’t know.