diff --git a/packages/ludic.ui/expr_prim.ludic b/packages/ludic.ui/expr_prim.ludic
index 38350312..c95a36a3 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.ui/expr_prim.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.ui/expr_prim.ludic
@@ -82,7 +82,14 @@ function ex_text(src: string, err: []string) -> UiExpr {
     i += 1
   }
   if at < len(src) { push(e.args, ex_lit(Value.str(src[at..len(src)]))) }
-  if len(e.args) == 0 { return ex_lit(Value.str("")) }
-  if len(e.args) == 1 { return e.args[0] }
-  return e
+  if len(e.args) > 1 { return e }
+  # one piece or none: the joining node is not kept, so it is given back
+  var one: UiExpr = null
+  if len(e.args) == 1 { one = e.args[0] }
+  unsafe {
+    free(e.args)
+    free(e)
+  }
+  if one == null { return ex_lit(Value.str("")) }
+  return one
 }
diff --git a/packages/ludic.ui/style.ludic b/packages/ludic.ui/style.ludic
index 4a654a82..88c5a824 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.ui/style.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.ui/style.ludic
@@ -30,9 +30,12 @@ function lss_file(ui_st: mut UiState, src: string, path: string) -> UiFile {
 @alloc_ok("a stylesheet being read: once per component class (uc_load)")
 function lss_text(ui_st: mut UiState, f: UiFile, src: string) -> void {
   let err = new []string
-  lss_block(ui_st, f, lss_strip(src), null, err)
+  let body = lss_strip(src)            # always a copy of its own (lss_strip joins its pieces)
+  lss_block(ui_st, f, body, null, err)
+  unsafe { free(body) }                # every rule, selector and value read from it is a copy
   @alloc_ok("only when a template is wrong: a broken screen, never a working one")
   for i in 0 .. len(err) { ui_err(ui_st, `{f.path}: <style> {err[i]}`) }
+  unsafe { free(err) }
 }
 # rules, @imports and @media blocks; the rules in a @media block carry its condition
 function lss_block(ui_st: mut UiState, f: UiFile, src: string, md: UiMedia, err: []string) -> void {
@@ -62,6 +65,7 @@ function lss_block(ui_st: mut UiState, f: UiFile, src: string, md: UiMedia, err:
     for i in at .. len(f.own) { f.own[i].md = md }
   }
   if r.err != "" { push(err, r.err) }
+  unsafe { free(r) }                   # the reader only: its text is the caller's
 }
 # @import "base.lss"; - its rules come before this file's own
 function lss_import(ui_st: mut UiState, f: UiFile, what: string) -> void {
diff --git a/packages/ludic.ui/tpl.ludic b/packages/ludic.ui/tpl.ludic
index 755caec4..d28376a6 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.ui/tpl.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.ui/tpl.ludic
@@ -72,17 +72,28 @@ function tpl_value(v: string, err: []string) -> UiExpr {
 @alloc_ok("a memo miss (tw) or a template being read: once per text")
 function tpl_words(s: string) -> string {
   if tpl_clean(s) { return s }
-  var out = ""
+  # written once into bytes of its own, as a TextRing slot is: a text built a character at a time
+  # left a string behind for every character
+  var p: pointer = null
+  unsafe { p = bytes(len(s) + 1) }
+  var n = 0
   var gap = false
   for i in 0 .. len(s) {
     let c = s[i]
-    if c == 32 or c == 9 or c == 10 or c == 13 { gap = len(out) > 0 } else {
-      if gap { out = out + " " }
+    if c == 32 or c == 9 or c == 10 or c == 13 { gap = n > 0 } else {
+      unsafe {
+        if gap {
+          p[n] = 32
+          n += 1
+        }
+        p[n] = c
+      }
+      n += 1
       gap = false
-      out = out + s[i..i + 1]
     }
   }
-  return out
+  unsafe { p[n] = 0 }
+  return p
 }
 function tpl_attr(t: UiTpl, key: string) -> UiExpr {
   for i in 0 .. len(t.keys) {