*Here*
Lying here
on the bed my sister once used
so long ago.
Windows all around me
that let the moonshine
fall through
and like an accidental stranger
tumble onto my bed.
Though the wind around me
is cold
and I shiver,
I can see the stars
without having to move a muscle
The stars so bright
away from the lights
of 4 million televisions.
The sounds of a country night
reach my ears
crickets chirping
and in the distance
a fox cries alone like
a deserted child.
Apple trees knock against each other
and the wind sweeps the ground of leaves
sweeps the room of warmth
and I huddle deeper
but theres a place
here
that despite the chill
the dank
the isolation
is soothing
nightime
here.
*Shower and a Dog*
The
ancient monolith
hunk of ceramic white
now turned yellow with the passage of years
Did plaque get in your teeth too?
Stripping down
so fucking cold
steps into the bath
and takes up the showerhead
which dangles from the wall
like a snake with a broken neck.
My feet become ice
and they are removed from the comforting mat.
And I turn the heat up
thank God its piping hot.
I turn around
and out of no-where
a dog sticks its feet
over the side of the bath
and stares at me
with its brown eyes.
Curiosity?
or is that a sneer I see?
A spray from the showerhead
sends it scurrying for cover
and a sigh of relief fills the room
echoing off the hard white walls.
And now the challenge.
Turn off the shower
Hurry
Clamber Out
Stand on the mat
Dry myself
Quickly
Quickly
Pull on
Clothes
Shivering
Begins
The Goosebumps
Rise
On Freezing Flesh
like a Rash
Quickly
Quickly
Shove Feet
Forward
Through the door
and out
*People*
This
mans face tells a story
The deep wrinkles speak of hardship on his farm
The washed out eyes reflect the sky he works beneath,
Still, the work continues.
And it finishes...
Never.
This womans face tells a story
Her pursed lips as she watches over her children, beautiful like she never was.
The tired eyes glance over her surroundings
and she sighs.
"When will it end" she asks herself inside.
Never.
This mans face tells a story
The rheumy eyes tell of last nights drinking
The deep brown of his skin provides a reason why
A reason to escape, but ever?
Never.
This womans face tells a story
The faded and torn jeans of the homeless
And her lost look....suggestions?
Asks me for some money
I give her what change I have...but enough?
Never.
This childs face tells a story not yet finished
How he will grow up
and like a cancer the decay around him shall erode
his very soul.
His blonde hair will turn to brown
His blue eyes will fade to pinpricks of hatred
His cheery smile replaced by a grimace
He will try to bear it
But he will leave
Like so many others before him
Leave this place
Leave this life
and return
Never.
*Ruminations 3*
From
where I sit,
I can see:
The torturous twists of the apple tree branches in the orchard
The faded panelling on the outside of the house
The brown grass choked with weeds
The faded purple mountains in the distance.
I can hear:
The tractor making its way up the hill beyond the house
The twittering birds in the trees
The harsh metallic drone of "Tier" emanating from the CD player
The tree branches rustling in the incessant breeze.
I can smell:
The rumballs and nuts on the table before me with their competing but not
complimentary aromas.
The wood on this table which has absorbed my sister for 10 years
The wind which brings the smells of flowers a thousand miles to my door, before
it snatches them away again.
The mince being cooked in the room next door.
I can feel:
The smooth wood of the table beneath my fingers
The freezing concrete floor beneath my feet
The uncushioned seat poking into my butt
The warm paper which sits in the shaft of sunlight.
