And I just saw this thread for the first time

. It was started whilst I was still pretty much incommunicado here, starting the first of January, 2005 and ending after my return from Hydra in late June. I'd given up on 'catch-up,' but it looks like I need to restart with that; just one thread at a time is better than nothing.
This one's priceless, including Pico Iyer's segment. I love reading his words. I recently came across something else in a magazine by him.
That is so exciting, seeing how Leonard's mind just went a wholly different direction, yet so concisely, in the midst of "Closing Time." I start wondering things like whether he suddenly got a flash of a more literal, closing time, one brought about by the sea.
To me, the margined line actually looks
clearly like, "To be tossed on this shore" ~
For the word "on," the "o" is in a more 'closed' position, rather than being 'open' and rounded in the middle of it; the "n" has a much smaller, down-slanting line for the left side of the "n," with a more normal, longer, down-slanting line for the right side of it.
For the word "this," Leonard's "t" is crossed
above it, rather than
across it, and it runs at a downward-to-the-left angle into the "n" of "on."
All of that is to say that I agree with you, YdF [these things need to be 'justified'

]. Plus, I also was interested to see how/if I was able to describe in words the structure of his letters

[I
think I managed

]. I'm believing, of course, that Marie was
long ago advised of all this

.
You must have been
thrilled to just be reading along and come upon this, Tom

! Good on you

!!!
Very cool

. Did you suddenly feel like you were at the river panning for gold and found yourself blinded by the brightness of the huge nugget you just found

?
~ Lizzy