The Ent

He's in a heavy terracotta pot on one of the speakers; we got him ages ago from Ikea. I said if I couldn't have a dog I'd settle for a bonsai fig. He's not as small as you'd think a bonsai Ficus should be, I think I'm giving him too much encouragement, too much love. We called him ‘The Ent' after Tolkien, our own mini Treebeard with a little gnarled face, always smiling up as us. I tucked a tiny amethyst point into his roots to encourage him to grow, we've had him for three years and he's flourishing; we must be doing something right. His leaves grow backwards towards the window, my houseplant book says to turn them periodically, but we like having his face pointing at us. He sheds in the autumn but grows stronger in the summer, new leaves always curling out at the top of his branches. I talk to him, like I do to all my plants; I call myself ‘Daddy' to him, and I stroke his bark. He seems to like it.

Tulse Luper's suitcases

1. COAL
2. TOYS
3. LUPER PHOTOS
4. LOVE LETTERS
5. CLOTHES
6. CLOTHES
7. VATICAN PORNOGRAPHY
8. FISH
9. PENCILS
10. HOLES
11. MOAB PHOTOGRAPHS
12. FROGS
13. FOOD DROP
14. DOLLARS
15. COINS
16. LUPER'S LOST FILMS
17. ALCOHOL
18. PERFUME
19. PASSPORTS
20. BLOODIED WALLPAPER
21. CLEANING FLUIDS
22. DENTAL TOOLS
23. CHERRIES
24. HONEY
25. NUMBERS & LETTERS
26. LUPER UNIFORMS
27. DOG BONES
28. LOCKS AND KEYS
29. LIGHT-BULBS
30. PLACE-NAMES
31. BOOTS AND SHOES
32. ZOO ANIMALS ARK
33. IDEAS OF AMERICA
34. ANNA KARENINA NOVELS
35. CANDLES
36. RADIO EQUIPMENT
37. CLEAN LINEN
38. WATER
39. CODE
40. A SLEEPER
41. EROTIC ENGRAVINGS
42. 92 OBJECTS TO REPRESENT THE WORLD
43. RAINBOWS
44. PRISON MOVIE FILM-CLIPS
45. MANUSCRIPTS FOR THE BABY OF STRASBOURG
46. HOLOCAUST GOLD
47. CHILDREN
48. DEAD ROSES
49. TRAINS
50. SEWING NEEDLES
51. SHOWER-HEADS
52. 55 MEN ON HORSEBACK
53. CHINA DOGS
54. BRUSHES
55. DRAWINGS OF LUPER
56. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
57. SMOKED CIGARS
58. BODY-PARTS
59. INGRES PAINTINGS
60. BROKEN GLASS
61. MOITESSIER GOWNS
62. CRABCLAWS
63. FEATHERS AND EGGS
64. YELLOW PAINT
65. TENNIS BALLS
66. BOTTLE MESSAGES
67. GREEN APPLES
68. PIG
69. SPENT MATCHES
70. SAUCEPANS
71. FLOWER BULBS
72. RESTAURANT MENUS
73. 92 ATOMIC ELEMENTS
74. VIOLIN SPLINTERS
75. FIRE
76. LEAD
77. OBELISKS
78. ROMAN POSTCARDS
79. HOLY EARTH
80. GREEN FIGS
81. LIGHT
82. NOTES ON DROWNED CORPSES
83. MAPS
84. BOARD GAMES
85. INK & BLOOD
86. LUPER STORY MANUSCRIPTS
87. ICE
88. MEASURING TOOLS
89. TYPEWRITER
90. DOLLS
91. THE PHRENOLOGICAL BOOK
92. LUPER'S LIFE