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Simon J. Reynolds

@semperaliquid.net
147 followers 68 following 597 posts

People are Adventures: sometimes disagreeable, mostly delightful, always instructive. My nephew Les painted the birds above, and although the witty labels are mine, the©️ is his. Enjoy his art on a scale it deserves at lesliereynolds.africa.

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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 17h
Intriguing! Sounds like at the very least it deserves to be given a chance. We must try to give it a go.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 30/09/2026
Just caught Kate Walsh’s unmistakable continuity voice on #BBC1 , introducing The Candyman. 🫪🫪 Pure honeyed menace… 😱 @katevoice.bsky.social 😱
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 28/09/2026
📖 "Looking at Each Other", my cycling-meets-mythology epic, is available from: Amazon £9.60/US$12.69; Audible £3.65/US$6.36, narr Kate Walsh @katevoice.bsky.social Or read it in chunks (which may or may not be in the right order, but 🤷 ) at #LAEO. #books #booksky #poetry #cycling #mythology
Book cover, consisting of an image by Robin Reynolds showing a bicycle chainwheel superimposed on a blurred eye and behind the chainwheel, two helmeted cyclists eyeballing one another. The text of the cover reads: "Looking at Each Other or Orpheus Re-Cycled: The Perils of Reciprocal Oculation by Simon J. Reynolds Illustrated by Robin Reynolds" followed by a blurb that says "Poets, prophets, and bloody cyclists! A wonderful take on a peerless sport.–Ned Boulting".
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Janet Hill @saskajanet.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Never before has a turtle turtled this hard. Zoom in and appreciate The Foot
A fantastic painted turtle stands on a snag in a stream. Turtle has a smooth black carapace with bright red edges. Its neck and legs are a glorious riot of yellow racing stripes. It has its neck fully extended staring at the sky and the back right leg and foot are completely extended. This is an epic pose by a creature at the peak of its powers.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 24/09/2026
Saddam Insane really is furious that the sobriquet “Donald Chump” is being used of him. And when Insane is mad, watch out… 🤭
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 23/09/2026
Axes to the White House, on the other hand…
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 22/09/2026
[Prompt 1882] Who turned on that light? And me looking such a fright, My makeup half done! #poetry #micropoetry #haiku #haikuhorrorprompt #flicker
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 21/09/2026
I wondered when / whether this might happen.👏
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 21/09/2026
Dear @jbf1755.bsky.social , As a secular Christian, I want to thank you for last night’s Thoughts, which I do appreciate. I was all adream so missed the live stream, but Rosie appears well-focused and content. And Ialso see having fun as an act of defiance! www.youtube.com/live/Zp-Roni...
youtube.com
A Few Thoughts For Those Who Can't Sleep -- Sepetmber 20 Edition
YouTube video by Dr. Joanne Freeman
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 20/09/2026
Bitcoin mining! I'd bet any money you like - even crypto - that Dr HCR (or, as some people call her, @hcrichardson.bsky.social ) is right about the true purpose of "data centres". It makes perfect sense -- the complaints of noise, the power/water use. (±minute 29.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fTE...
youtube.com
What the Heck Just Happened? With Heather and Joanne
YouTube video by Dr. Joanne Freeman
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 20/09/2026
Okay, so instead of idly speculating (see repost), I roused myself to DuckDuckGo it. The results showed that, post-stabbing, Salman Rushdie's sales did indeed surge, if not soar. And I was part of that! Talk about unintended consequences... #books #booksky #rushdie londondaily.com/uk-sales-of-...
londondaily.com
UK sales of The Satanic Verses surge after Rushdie stabbing - London Daily
Publisher Vintage has ordered a reprint following rush to buy the 1988 novel in the wake of the attack on the author earlier this month
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 20/09/2026
It would be interesting to know how much the attack stimulated sales of “The Satanic Verses”, thereby putting the assailant himself ironically in breach of the fatwa he thought to obey. Very funny book, by the way. #books #booksky #rushdie youtu.be/0TmWA2qDmMU?...
youtu.be
‘Tell the damn story’: Salman Rushdie on free speech & new doc on recovery from 2022 knife attack
YouTube video by MS NOW
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 19/09/2026
Told y'all so: “The Field of Blood”, by the Quentin Tarantino of US political history Joanne B Freeman, is an entertaining, poignant, intriguing tale of duels and fisticuffs in antebellum Congress. Pertinent in this age of that sentimental bruiser Markwayne Mullin. #history #books #booksky
Front cover of the book "The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War" by Joanne B. Freeman. (Recommended)
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 19/09/2026
Hillary Monahan (aka @hillarymonahan.bsky.social ), Good for you! Wars will always kill kids! So, don’t start wars. Cc @oldenoughtosay.com Talking of dead children, here (2nd time today) is that egregious SoD Hegseth gloating, four days after taking out 123. www.youtube.com/shorts/lqxYd...
youtube.com
Hegseth: "This was never meant to be a fair fight"
YouTube video by KING 5 Seattle
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Hillary Monahan @hillarymonahan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I've been called an antisemite and an islamophobe this week for making space for multiple traumas and declaring dead children is wrong no matter who does what travesty to whom. I don't decide what you think of me. I do decide that "dead children is wrong" is a hill I will defend.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 19/09/2026
Lest we forget... a moment's silence, please, to reflect once more on the Feb 28 slaughter of 123 Teheran children by "death and destruction from the sky". And on the sneering, gloating US SoD Peter Hegseth, unrepentant four days later. @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/shorts/lqxYd...
youtube.com
Hegseth: "This was never meant to be a fair fight"
YouTube video by KING 5 Seattle
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 19/09/2026
Spot the slip of tongue? USP DJT confirms what we knew already ... that the reporting he bans is what *he* doesn't want to hear. "Negative" stories are NOT the same as "fake" stories. @maddow.bsky.social @hcrichardson.bsky.social @ogc56.bsky.social @lisaguerrero.bsky.social youtu.be/aNPiNGZuV2U
youtu.be
Trump bans CNN and Politico from White House | BBC News
YouTube video by BBC News
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 17/09/2026
A man with “morals so loose they flapped when he walked”—no, not the usual suspect but a character in #KatherineRundell ‘s new Glimouria book. Dazzling wordplay from a goddess of English prose (if prose can dance). That 300 yet? (keen to get back to ch3) #books #booksky #kidlituk #childrensbooks
Picture of a book called “Impossible Creatures: The Neverfear” by Katherine Rundell (Bloomsbury). The cover is dominated by a soaring phoenix(?) while far below a child (11 or 12ish) standing on an ornate tower waves to it.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 17/09/2026
#LAEO 78 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Hanna concurs: ‘And never – Not even hurt or sickly – Shall anybody catch me!’ But what of our heroine? To a stats table, wherein (As if dying weren’t enough!) We find this slight epitaph: Eurydice – DNF. [That's it. Tomorrow I'll post some Notes.]
Slight epitaph: Under a stunted tree on a nondescript hill in a commonplace wilderness stands an overgrown, crumbling tombstone marked “Eurydice D.N.F.”, those measured full stops like the beat of muffled funeral drum. Even the fact of a bike race is only fleetingly acknowledged with a representation of a bicycle wheel cut into the marble. A shovel leans casually against the headstone, suggesting that perhaps the work was unfinished, the labourer (Orpheus himself, maybe) intending to return to his task, but in the end couldn’t be arsed. Only the constellation Lyra, twinkling in the darkening sky, carries a hint of an echo of the legend of Eurydice and Orpheus. ©️ 2023 Robin Reynolds
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 17/09/2026
Safely under lock and Lunakey! @oldenoughtosay.com , many thanks. 🙏
Black cat called Lunaki with a paperback copy of Uncle Dynamite by PG Wodehouse.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 17/09/2026
#LAEO 77 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Oculation is Bad Luck Officially – trumping pluck And hard work. From this day on, I promise, in peloton Or break, you’ll not discover *Me* looking at each other.’ ‘Never?’ ‘Well… hardly ever.’
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 16/09/2026
Regardless of the antisemitic connection, maybe give it a miss…
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 16/09/2026
#LAEO 76 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Henceforth this sport, I predict, Will suffer for its looks. Tricked Out of our polite “You first”, “No no, after you”, we’re cursed To regard invitation As tiltyard vacillation.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 16/09/2026
NOT YET, BALOO!
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 16/09/2026
#LAEO 75 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology ‘I thought you took a hands-off Position on rules?’ ‘Lay off The commissaires, I say!’ laughs Her friend, who does nix by halfs. Then sombrely: ‘These events Have stained our sweet innocence.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 16/09/2026
Reassuring.
A considerate email from UK Power Services which included this helpful section: A row of headings reading "Update your details", "Save energy" and "Save money" followed by the text, "As a Priority Services Customer, make sure [illegible due to overprinting], from no-cost changes to improv[line break] can continue providing you with the support. If any [illegible] vice, grants and support through our Saver website."
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 15/09/2026
“The Field of Blood”, by the Quentin Tarantino of US political history Joanne B Freeman, is an entertaining, poignant, intriguing tale of duels and fisticuffs in antebellum Congress. Pertinent in this age of the sentimental bruiser Markwayne Mullin. #history #books #booksky @jbf1755.bsky.social
Top hats fly as the gentleman on the left (as we look at it) delivers a telling blow to the jaw of the gentleman on the right, in the cover drawing of "The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War" (2018) by Joanne B. Freeman. It's out of print, in the UK at least, but available as a Kindle ebook (e for electrifying, in this case).
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 15/09/2026
#LAEO 74 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Now Marian states: ‘A rule Is a rule, and though you’ll Think that harsh, as a rule it Should apply. Bite the bullet, Bear the bitter bleak blemish Brightly, as befits beamish Bike-buddies blatantly blessed By backbone.’ Hanna, in jest:
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 15/09/2026
#LAEO 73 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology To turn, with polite outrage, Disvantage to advantage.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 15/09/2026
#LAEO 72 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Saving with her band of she-Riffs Robin Hood’s men in tight spots – Not once but time and again. Always up for a campaign, She upsets the old order, Will dispute any border, Brave even the slur ‘outlaw’, To share prizes with the poor,
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 14/09/2026
#LAEO 71 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Could they but catch her off-bike: Fair Maid Marian, saintlike Champion of the greenwood Where she honed her skills real good, Making fools of the Sheriff’s Team, tying them all up in Notts,
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 14/09/2026
You can say that again...
The current Marks and Spencer boast "This is not *just* food" on the side of a shelving display of pricey snacks etc.  The word "just" is underlined for emphasis, giving weight to the interpretation that "this is unjust food", which seems fair, given the state of the world.
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angelM @angelmsattya.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 14/09/2026
#LAEO 70 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Of course, he stands not a chance With this pair—looking askance At his stare—as Hades knew Very well. For these are two Proud ladies: Hanna the Meek (She who shall inherit eke The earth and all its rainbows), And one on whom *would* rain beaux,
The world and all its rainbows: This is the final illustration inside the book (there is one more, but that is the back-cover). It shows the rider named in the text as Hannah the Meek, but whom I can now reveal to be based on Annemiek van Vleuten, the Dutch cyclist, now retired but who, at the time of writing, was making a rather ostentatious habit of winning whatever world or regional championships might be going. Against a soft-focus rainbow background, we see her attired in her rainbow jersey and, Atlas-like, holding aloft a blue and gold Earth. ©️ 2023 Robin Reynolds
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 14/09/2026
"That's MY job!"
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Rudolf 🔜 MFF @flame.dog · 14/09/2026
IIRC the "trickle down" thing was never phrasing used by Republicans to characterize their own policies, it was almost exclusively used in direct opposition of the policies it describes.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 13/09/2026
#LAEO 69 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Eurydice, Orph-baiting As he stuffs her in: ‘Dating? You’re available, I hear! Why not try those two up there?’ He cracks his whip and is borne Off with the remains. Forlorn Orph stands, till that parting leer Goads his grudging gaze ‘up there’…
The death of hope:  Eurydice is already losing her looks as Hades takes possession of her body. Her head is now a skull in a bicycle helmet, and Hades has his left arm around her neck, his right across her waist, clutching his ever-present staff of office. Clearly she is dead, and that apparent gesture of despair or surrender with her arms must be merely an involuntary nervous discharge. Must be. ©️ 2023 Robin Reynolds
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 13/09/2026
#LAEO 68 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Takes in good part if a sport. Orpheus hates it a mort (And not just ’cause his dorsal Skin is about as sore’s all Get-out – bloodied, bruised and raw After his brush with the law Of gravity). An old crate Hades finds for the twice-late
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 12/09/2026
Seated today with my Browning, I was weary and sick of news, And my eyeballs wandered idly 'Mong Bob's poetic cues. There I chanced upon The Pied Piper, and thought the third stanza might be helpful to my American friends plagued by MICE. @hcrichardson.bsky.social @jbf1755.bsky.social #poetry
The Pied Piper of Hamelin, by Robert Browning. Third stanza:
At last the people in a body 
To the Town Hall came flocking:
"Tis clear, cried they, 'our Mayor's a noddy;
And as for our Corporation - shocking 
To think we buy gowns lined with ermine 
For dolts that can't or won't determine 
What's best to rid us of our vermin!
You hope, because you're old and obese, 
To find in the furry civic robe ease?
Rouse up, Sirs! Give your brains a racking 
To find a remedy we're lacking, 
Or, sure as fate, we'll send you packing!' 
At this the Mayor and Corporation 
Quaked with a mighty consternation.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 12/09/2026
#LAEO 67 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Rake of the canon Grecian, Not derivative Roman.) So, landing with a stagger, The god regains his swagger And, modestly insincere, Gasps ‘Oof! Getting old, I fear.’ Then gives the singer a slap On the back, the kind a chap
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 12/09/2026
#LAEO 66 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology From the Race Director’s red Chariot, its steeds undead, With a camp flourish he vaults, Toga in the wind, no shorts – Picture Bacchus by Titian (Clear mythappropriation, That painting: said debaucher Was Dionysus for sure,
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 12/09/2026
#LAEO 65 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Worse than the first; after that It quickly becomes old hat. ‘The later, the better bet’ – So preach Death’s dead-setter set. Of this, Hades is aware – Of course – lateness is his sphere! But he’s early on this scene, Keen to act callous and mean.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 11/09/2026
Does the Squeaker of the House (as Jimmy Kimmel calls him) even realise what he's saying, you know, out loud? That he'll Defy the Will of the People?! This guy can't even defy the will of his shadow, which won't let him go out in the sun, it's so ashamed to be seen with him.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 11/09/2026
#LAEO 64 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology That same dope, barred by hands Unseen from touching her, stands Rigid as her life dissolves. On her bike there revolves One lonely pedal, awry, Spinning slowly down… Dying’s hard and the second Time is commonly reckoned
One lonely pedal: Race over for Eurydice in this one, which, in a classy touch, is presented as the disintegration of the bicycle, components flying everywhere – handlebars, bits of frame, a lethal-looking section of chain, and of course that pedal, spinning slowly down to die. Also, just to remind us of the human component, a couple a red, white and blue check socks towards opposite corners of the image: the colours worn by Eurydice. ©️ 2023 Robin Reynolds
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 11/09/2026
@jbf1755.bsky.social @mapm8ker.bsky.social Hi Joanne, Just caught up on today’s HM. Though I was in London it seemed very close. In the Canary Wharf office tower I suddenly felt highly exposed. Colbert was the other Talarico interview pushed on to Youtube. 🦜 www.youtube.com/watch?v=74AP...
youtube.com
Looking Back After 25 Years: How Did 9/11 Change Us?
YouTube video by Dr. Joanne Freeman
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 11/09/2026
#LAEO 63 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Her panting bosom quickens As within, her heart sickens. Yet in darkling she finds grace, Enough to forgive the face Of the sentimental dope Who brought her the joy of hope Renewed. (Hope, ha! Fickle friend Who betrayed them in the end.)
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 11/09/2026
#LAEO 62 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Crying ‘No no no! Oh lover! They're looking at each other!’ Her chain breaks, both tyres explode, The frame twists, she hits the road, Horror and love, terror and rage Mingling on her final page.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 10/09/2026
What *does* the #RNLI think it's doing? First it saves the wrong people in peril on the sea. Then when I want to give it money to help with that, it loftily tells me only a #directdebit is acceptable for regular giving! But if I insisted, a one-off payment might not be sniffed at! I did 1/2—>
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 10/09/2026
Deliberation, debate and compromise. I remember those.
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Simon J. Reynolds @semperaliquid.net · 10/09/2026
#LAEO 61 #books #poetry #cycling #mythology Aghast, he sees her a few Yards short of the line; she too Is aghast – their very last Shared emotion. The steadfast Hope in her eyes is displaced By despair, meeting his, laced With guilty dews; she barely Hears the frantic crowd tearly
Their last shared emotion: What you would have seen in the reflecting pool of Orpheus’s eye, had you chosen – somewhat insensitively, we would contend – to peer into it at this climactic moment. First there are his eyelids,bordered with disgraefully unkempt lashes and edged with the guilty dews of his welling tears. Then there’s the head and shoulder image of Eurydice, reflected in his iris and aghast as promised. (In a nice touch by the artist, her gasping mouth coincides precisely with the pupil.) The upflung arms tell us that a crash is inevitable, while behind Eurydice spectators register emotions ranging from horror to Schadenfreude to the disappointment of a losing bet. ©️ 2023 Robin Reynolds
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