Appendix A

The Very Image

to Rene Magritte

An image of my grandmother
her head appearing upside down on a cloud
the cloud transfixed on the steeple
of a deserted railway-station
far away
 
an image of an aquaduct
with a dead crow hanging from the first arch
a modern-style chair from the second
a fir-tree lodged in the third
and the whole scene sprinkled with snow
 
an image of the piano tuner
with a basket of prawns on his shoulder
and a fire screen under his arm
his moustache made of clay-clotted twigs
and his cheeks daubed with wine
 
An image of an aeroplane
the propellor is rashes of bacon
the wings are of reinforced lard
the tail is made of paperclips
the pilot is a wasp
 
An image of the painter
with his left hand in a bucket
and his right hand stroking a cat
as he lies in bed
with a stone beneath his head
 
And all these images
and many others
are arranged like waxworks
in model birdcages
about six inches high

(David Gascoyne)