Hi, Exactly the same input as described in the metafont manual. \starttext Hello world! \useMPlibrary[txt] \startuseMPgraphic{test 1} path p ; p := fullcircle scaled 6cm ; build_parshape(p,6pt,0,0,\baselinedistance, \strutheight,\strutdepth,\strutheight) ; draw p withpen pencircle scaled 1pt ; \stopuseMPgraphic \startuseMPgraphic{test 2} path p ; p := fullsquare rotated 45 scaled 5cm ; build_parshape(p,6pt,0,0,\baselinedistance, \strutheight,\strutdepth,\strutheight) ; draw p withpen pencircle scaled 1pt ; \stopuseMPgraphic \startuseMPgraphic{test 3} numeric w, h ; w := h := 6cm ; path p ; p := (.5w,h) -- (0,h) -- (0,0) -- (w,0) & (w,0) .. (.75w,.5h) .. (w,h) & (w,h) -- cycle ; build_parshape(p,6pt,0,0,\baselinedistance, \strutheight,\strutdepth,\strutheight) ; draw p withpen pencircle scaled 1pt ; \stopuseMPgraphic \startuseMPgraphic{test 4} numeric w, h, o ; def shape = (o,o) -- (w-o,o) & (w-o,o) .. (.75w-o,.5h) .. (w-2o,h-o) & (w-2o,h-o) -- (o,h-o) -- cycle enddef ; w := h := 6cm ; o := 6pt ; path p ; p := shape ; w := h := 6cm ; o := 0pt ; path q ; q := shape ; build_parshape(p,q,6pt,6pt,\baselinedistance, \strutheight,\strutdepth,\strutheight) ; draw q withpen pencircle scaled 1pt ; \stopuseMPgraphic \defineoverlay[test 1][\useMPgraphic{test 1}] \defineoverlay[test 2][\useMPgraphic{test 2}] \defineoverlay[test 3][\useMPgraphic{test 3}] \defineoverlay[test 4][\useMPgraphic{test 4}] \startshapetext[test 1,test 2,test 3,test 4] \input douglas % Douglas R. Hofstadter \stopshapetext \startbuffer \setupframed [offset=overlay,align=normal,frame=off, width=\parwidth,height=\parheight] \startcombination[2*2] {\framed[background=test 1]{\getshapetext}} {test 1} {\framed[background=test 2]{\getshapetext}} {test 2} {\framed[background=test 3]{\getshapetext}} {test 3} {\framed[background=test 4]{\getshapetext}} {test 4} \stopcombination \stopbuffer \placefigure [here][fig:shapes] {A continuous text, typeset in a non||standard shape, spread over four areas, and right alligned.} {\getbuffer} \stoptext Yue Wang