Thu, 1 January

INVENTORY OF A TABLE SET FOR ONE Plate, white, 10¼ inches, centered. Knife, butter. Knife, dinner. Both facing in. Fork, tines up. (Tines down is Continental; we are not Continental.) Napkin, paper, folded once. Glass, water, no ice. Salt. No pepper—Loss #7, back of pantry, cap cracked, discarded November. Placemat, woven, bought in a set of six. Five in the drawer. Five in the drawer. Five in the drawer. Chair, pulled out exactly far enough. Light, gray, not asked for. Silence, which is not the same as quiet. Bread, half a loaf, yesterday's. Butter, cold, will not spread yet. Patience. The year, new. The room, not.