Bananas

"unbelievable black topsoil in which anything could grow, not the least being bananas. Pirate, driven to despair by the wartime banana shortage, decided to build a glass hothouse on the roof, and persuade a friend who flew the Rio-to-Ascension-to-Fort-Lamy run to pinch him a sapling banana tree or two [...] Pirate has become famous for his Banana Breakfasts" 5

"His giant bananas cluster, radiant yellow, humid green. His companions below dream drooling of a Banana Breakfast" 6

"Time to gather your arse up off the floor,

(have a bana-na)

Brush your teeth and go toddling off to war.

Wave your hand to sleepy land,

Kiss those dreams away,

Tell Miss Grable you're not able,

Not till V-E Day, oh,

Ev'rything'll be grand in Civvie Street

(have a bana-na)

Bubbly wine and girls wiv lips so sweet--

But there's still the German or two to fight,

So show us a smile that's shiny bright,

And then, as we may have suggested once before--

Gather yer blooming arse up off the floor!" 8-9

"God has plucked [the rocket] for him, out of its airless sky, like a steel banana." 8

"the same assertion-through-structure allows this war morning's banana fragrance to meander, repossess, prevail" 10

"mugsfull of banana mead...banana croissants and banana kreplach, and banana oatmeal and banana jam and banana bread, and bananas flamed in ancient brandy" 10

"a soggy banana sandwich in wax paper" 17

"Where's those banana cream pies, eh?" 197

"the chimp reaching now and then trying to slap her with this floppy banana peel" 496

"'Have a banana,' tuba player with his mouth full has a good-sized bunch stowed in the bell of his ax." 506

"Felix is eating a banana, and living for the moment." 508

"Carmen Miranda hats, for example, bananas, papayas, bunches of grapes, pears, pineapples, mangoes" 664

"a banana-leaf floor somewhere near Malabacat in the Philippines" 672

"feelin' yellow and bright as you skirt the bananas, gazing down at verdigris reaches of mold across the crusted terrain of an old, no longer identifiable casserole--bananas! who-who's been putting banana--In-the-re-frig er a-tor!/O no-no-no, no-no-no! Chiquita Banana sez we shouldn't! Somethin' awful'll happen! Who would do that? It couldn't be Mom, and Hogan's in love with Chiquita Banana, Tyrone's come in the room plenty of times found his brother with banana label glued on his erect cock for ready reference" 678