Near the Dizengoff fountain plaza (the fountain resembling a cylinder of corrugated cardboard from a distance), the speakers of the Tuesday flea market are blasting Procol Harum. Earlier, they were looping a Moody Blues song. At the market, there were books in multiple languages (including a two volume French guide to erotic comic books), postcard albums, dishes, dusty bottles, jewelry - the usual detritus and clobber, and yet not. There was a woman with a fashionable aura (salon-styled hair, thin, tan) who walked past me wearing a leather bustier over a striped knit top, denim leggings, and bright red Crocs. I didn't know it was possible to wear that many textures in 88-degree heat.

Assorted pleasures:

The Natan Zach poem ("Give me what a Tree has") from which today's subject line is taken.

Tiffany Midge's "Love Poem for the Inanimate" (today's feature at No Tell Motel)

Caitlin Gildrien's "The Atheist's Art of Prayer"

Drinks and nosh last night at Par Derriere (on Rehov Hamalekh David, red doors to the right of the store with the happy-looking hot dog). The BYM started with a mint julep, which resulted not only in a fine drink but the entertainment of listening to the bartender explaining the drink and its ingredients to another customer in a mix of Hebrew and English. Heh. I started with a flute of Xenius (spanish sparkling rose) and had a tumbler of Ramazzotti on the rocks for dessert (admittedly because it was the one digestif I hadn't heard of, so of course I had to try it; it was dark and syrupy and reminded me of the Strathisla I'd enjoyed in Chicago years ago). For food, we ordered caprese salad and a "sausage" plate that turned out to be more in the way of fancy cold cuts with bread and mustard (very, very yummy); the cook also treated us to a saucer of tomato salad (dressed with olive oil, salt, and minced garlic - so simple, but sublime) and shots of ginger-spiced gazpacho that had the BYM fantasizing about Bloody Marys ("the man has a way with tomatoes...").

Much more to report, but it's time to recharge the laptop and to find dinner (today's breakfast was traditional Israeli - i.e., huge - fresh-baked bread, fresh-squeezed juice, eggs, tuna salad, Israeli salad, guacamole, plum lekvar, butter, cream cheese, feta cheese, roasted peppers - and we didn't actually get around to it until after 11, so I haven't been hungry until now). Shalom!