the church, Swift observes that "candles/Light the pale faced members of the choir", and "stiff-necked listeners crouch forward/In low pews, Anglican or just off-the-street". Swift captures Cripplegate wonderfully. He remarks how Palestrina's medieval Matins Responsary captures "the post-war mood". And then: "How venal, then, to notice all the time-worn suits,/The dresses past their fashion. Decrepitude cradles us". It is that last phrase-"Decrepitude cradles us."-that makes Swift worth listening to.