Edith Wharton, "Mrs. Manstey's View," The New York Stories of Edith Wharton

On one occasion her feelings were racked by the neglect of a housemaid, who for two days forgot to feed the parrot committed to her care. On the third day, Mrs. Manstey, in spite of her gouty hand, had just penned a letter, beginning: "Madam, it is now three days since your parrot has been fed," when the forgetful maid appeared at the window with a cup of seed in her hand.

Mande Zecca, "Song," Caketrain #6

If a beard of words.
A man moves his saw-arm down.

Stephen Graham, "The Gentle Art of Tramping"

Upon seeing a bull you decide to pass him in the spirit of an escaping torero, or you make a rule to meet the danger. You take a bearing by your pocket-compass, and ascertain what tree or landmark you are naturally making for on the other side of the bull's field. And having assured yourself of that, you reach it by making a detour.

S.E. Smith, "Chapel of Teeth," Caketrain #6

On Monday I learned about parasites that eat a fish's tongue and then pretend to be the tongue, lolling in the mouth cave and surviving on food bits. On Tuesday I began to wonder about my own tongue.

Ezra Pound, letter, "The MIND of Europe (or news in perspective)," The Virginia Quarterly Review 84.2

Walter Chiari, despite heavy rain and tempestuous water cited a large sea tortoise, a metre and half in size, and rowed out with several companions, found the animal dead and conserved its shells as a trophy. Max Conrad, playing the squiffer or mouthorgan, crossed in 36 hours and arrived in Ciampine, hold it, 34 hours, as has doubtless been revealed by TV to his compatriots. Brigit Bardot wears a black wig in her last performance.

-Ez

Danielle Wheeler, "Star Arranging," Caketrain #6

Also, I get hungry in the woods. I don't have a telescope, and miss much of the sky, and things were written on the ceiling of the cabin that I could not understand.