Holding its inverted poise –
Between the clang and clang a flower,
A brazen calyx of no noise:
The bell was silent in the air.
The camels crossed the miles of sand
That stretched around the cups and plates;
The desert was their own, they planned
To portion out the stars and dates:
The camels crossed the miles of sand.
Time was away and somewhere else.
The waiter did not come, the clock
Forgot them and the radio waltz
Came out like water from a rock:
Time was away and somewhere else.
Her fingers flicked away the ash
That bloomed again in tropic trees:
This transports us back to the desert, but also back thousands of years. It is a reference that appears several times in the Bible, but notably to Moses leading the exodus of the Jews from slavery to the Promised Land. When they were thirsty Moses  struck a rock  and water gushed out. 
 
 Why did MacNeice choose this? It could refer to love being like a miracle, feelings that emerge without explanation and uplift those who experience it. It could be that life without love might have seemed like a desert. It could also be another reference to time; the Bible story traditionally dates back five thousand years and reappears metaphorically in the minds of the lovers sitting in the cafe.
Meeting Point