the boy’s apparent telepathy intrigued the artist / first lesson began next day / the boy’s deafness made conversation unnecessary / especially as he seemed attentive and able / if not to anticipate the old man’s intentions / at least to act in accord with his own awareness of them / what was apparent to the old man was apparent to the boy / who the old man was / and what that particular old man would do / he settled in / understood his surroundings / the artist felt himself as the key element in those surroundings / after they had washed eaten shat / the two went to the large north wall of the studio / the artist looked the monkey directly in the eyes / what was he thinking? / the monkey smiles / as somehow expected / I have never taught before / I told him / surprised I hadn’t sufficient faith in the boy’s power to read my thoughts / monkey attentive / doesn’t seem to mind I speak / if you can read my thoughts and I think them as I speak them / boy smiles and nods / then you put your internal thought-voice to the movements of my mouth / same as if you listen / except what I don’t say you hear as well / at last I have to tell the truth / boy makes his yes-smile apologetically / no written answers necessary / proof of understanding would be to doubt the reality of the situation / old artist naked before the quizzical eyes of a nit-picking monkey