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Potter’s Field
- Northwestern University Press
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22 Potter’s Field 1 I am finding Francesca, father’s father’s mother, more difficult than her photograph. Before the war Francesca had many horses. She pretends to ride one in the cracked light of Francesca, young and on horseback. In truth, she fears them. How the picture lies: Francesca astride a jade troubled in harness— the only photo I have left. See. Francesca unafraid. 23 2 Great Francesca please stop speaking— now, look at the fine photo your son has taken of Francesca fearless on horseback. No, your son is not dead of trampling but of the cough— Anton! Anton! Qui va là? Someone remove this woman. [Francesca is thrice removed.] And everything was taken. [18.227.161.132] Project MUSE (2024-04-18 00:23 GMT) 24 3 *ekwos. eoh. equine. *khorsaz. ross. horse. Blancas, the white ones. Charos, the black one. Daguerreotype: a type of war. Anton, my tamer of horses. Francesca, lightwritten— Hippolyta. potable. phosphor. Harness and caparison: entrails and harns— patois: a trampling down. what. falls. off. you. me. anton. Equus caballus. haruspex. 25 4 Francesca, if a young girl comes begging sugar for her mare, don’t answer. Say to her cauchemar, dismiss her as nightmare— it is she you should fear. She speaks French but curses in Latin— delenda est Carthago! She is young enough to have loved Anton before he was not trampled and got the cough. Francesca, the mare was never there. Francesca, poor in horses. ...