Since Nine OClock

Half past twelve.

Time has gone by quicklysince nine o'clock when I lit the lampand sat down here.

I've been sitting without reading,without speaking.

Completely alone in the house,whom could I talk to?

Since nine o'clock when I lit the lampthe shade of my young bodyhas come to haunt me, to remind meof shut scented rooms,of past sensual pleasure - what daring pleasure.

And it's also brought back to mestreets now unrecognizable,bustling night clubs now closed,theatres and cafes no longer here.

The shade of my young bodyalso brought back the things that make us sad:family grief, separations,the feelings of my own people, feelingsof the dead so little acknowledged.

Half past twelve.

How the time has gone by.

Half past twelve.

How the years have gone by.