When love a little came for the first time to James,
A growing boy,
Who had been all for roller-skates before, and matches between
     boys and boys with James among them,
James, like the not too knowing lad that he was, thought, in his
     heart, in his bones, in his flesh, thought, thought, thought,    
     Hell, hell, what is all this.
Hell, hell, what is all this, he thought and love went on.
Bodies went on by him in the street, thoughts went on in him, in    
     the street, and Hell, hell, thought James Rowan, what, what is
     all this, this about.
And then when Jane did her lovely, ugly, puzzling, deep, girl    
     things, and James' bones, heart, flesh, mind, was all for Jane,    
     for James, 'fore God, loved Jane—O, you big, great, great    
     Jane,—James thought, cried, thought, moaned, bellowed,    
     shouted, whispered, groaned, said, bellowed, Hell, hell, what    
     is all this, this about.
Jane, that great thing, loved James a little, enough to pain James    
     as much as nature, cruelty, the world wanted for the time.
James, you are having old pains, as old as the oldest stone the loving    
     geologist finds; think, at times, of new roller-skates, but love,    
     love is with you, and love is as old as, bigger than, the old,    
     big, uncaring, hot sun.
James, see Jane, and shiver; James, think of Jane, and groan;    
     James, imagine Jane, and sigh; it's all old stuff, and as big as    
     any stuff there is.
Jane Terell, whatever she is, is as big as anything now; the girl's    
     great, the girl's big, the girl's got tragedy with her.
Let her be pert, let her smile falsely, let her run gaily, falsely, the    
     girl's great; it's coming to her that she take your bones, heart,    
     soul, flesh, James.
Hooray for the inevitable, hooray for the immense—and James    
     Rowan says, What the hell, hell, hell, is this, this about?
It is a good question.
James Rowan, 14, is great.
James Rowan, of Taunton, Massachusetts, on a nice, shady street,    
     where there's good roller-skating, is infinite, is immense, is    
     infinite.
It is a good question: Hell, what is this about.
It is a good question, friend, James Rowan.