you have to like the name too I said

he didn’t say nothing

/

I think Lenny didn’t know the baby very well

so he didn’t know what to call him

but he knew how to love him

/

yes he loved him I know that

/

something from the Bible I said that’s always good

a name that means something and that you can read stories about

how about Jacob I said

Lenny said that sounds like a Jewish name

and I said it was a Jewish name

and Lenny said we’re not Jewish

we’re not anything I said

but Lenny didn’t want a Jewish name

why don’t you want him to have a Jewish name I said

Lenny didn’t answer he just shrugged

what about Abraham I said just to have a laugh

for fuck’s sake Lenny said

Irish names were out too

and so were any of the names of the royal family who were just scum the lot of them according to Lenny

there aren’t many names left I said

what about Lenny he said

but that’s your name I said

it can be his name too he said

I wouldn’t know who was who I said

yes you would he said

and I knew I would I suppose

but I wasn’t sure the baby wanted to be called Lenny

he wants his own name I said

it would be his name Lenny said

but it’s your name as well I said

what’s wrong with my name he said

there’s nothing wrong with your name I said

I think it’s a beautiful name it’s a beautiful name because it suits you

how does it suit me he said

it just does because that’s who you are I said

you’re Lenny

what would you rather be called I said

you could have your name changed if you wanted

I don’t want my bloody name changed he said

if you changed your name then we could call the baby Lenny and there wouldn’t be any mix-ups

what would I be called he said

I don’t know I said

how about Adam

and I could change my name to Eve

you’re a bloody idiot he said

/

so we called the baby Lenny and Lenny stayed Lenny as well

Four

FOUR

CHRISTIE in a church

Cold light

Brief echoes

Smell of priest

when I was left alone with the baby I called him something else

I called him Beau

because I read somewhere that Beau means beautiful

I never told Lenny

/

those were lovely times alone with Beau

I’d make a nest with the bedclothes

and we’d lie in there in the afternoon all dozy

and I’d make little cooing and whistling sounds

and pretend that we were all alone in the world

all alone in the big tree I imagined we were in