172

Eliot sat and listened to
            His father's voice and ate his
                        Cereal looking into the whiteness
Of the tablecloth. The cereal
            Was of grey oats and full fat
                        Milk of which some sediment
Had formed, for he had
            Disturbed its surface only in one
                        Part of the bowl, and he ate
Slowly and without energy.
            His father was speaking mechanically
                        About yield and elaborating on
Climatic effects of the particular season
            And occasionally referring to the
                        Innate bias of the marketplace.
His long, seamed face worked and
            When he sought emphasis his
                        Mouth would form an ellipse and
His cheeks depress, making him look
            Morbid. The regularity of his
                        Drawled vowels had a soporific
Effect on Eliot, as did the
            Hypnotic motion of his father's lean form ;
                        From the kitchen counter to the
Window, from the window to the table
            And then to the foot of the staircase
                        Where he would perform a disjointed
Series of actions : half-mounting, uttering
            Half-formed thoughts, dismounting ; as if
                        His mind was only part engaged.