Drowning
This time he dragged her down, bound with him
Clutching they spun inhaling, plunging in
Needle tight breaths, she smacked and fought back
Against his tourniquet grip, she slipped free in slack
Necked gropes as he grasped her hopes and crushed
As burning, they spiralled, kicking then hushed
Foiled in mutual dependence they caved in grey space
Where silently they swayed in soft spooning haze.
Sniffing deep breaths, clung, with heads thrown back in slow,
Washing relief, no longer attached, he let her go
And she fled through thick dungeons, the child’s dread cry
out of reach in the distant darkness, she dived to lie
in dark pools where watery creatures claimed her
silent screams, ricocheted in echoing chambers
Forms
When I die the world will stop spinning
And die too
The man on the radio said we’d inhabit Mars
I won’t be around, that won’t happen
They need to stop making space plans
I will be a form, a shape, a number, a colour, a sound
All will end with me.
Odysseus
I placed a hand on October stone
Winter skinned my palm. And curled red leaves
Into the hollow of the city wall
Around the drifting man
Bound in viscous sleeping bag
Cushioning stone from bone
Ragged Odysseus, he was no one
Beating aimless meters, elopes life
Strapped under city’s belly
Travelling man on stained path
Warrior of wet slabs, battling the wild
weaving winds. In blinkered armour
I saw no one