Smaller hours

"Writing as distraction

writing as a work

routine takes away freedom

freedom takes away restraint

restraint takes away fear

fear takes away hope

hope takes away past

past present future all in a day"

                                         Donnellan, Desmond

- Every day

one bottle

half a pint of milk:

two days

Teabags, unnumbered

your demise, steady

Every day, grocery shop

a gentleman! they said

(dead dead dead)

one packet of cakes

“loose fruit”

cigarettes

bread, sliced.

Working Dog

And in the hidden corner

of your most secret terror

your most blatant surrender

life dragged on like

a spectre

and the rotting peels dripped

and the stained tissues

festered -

 
                             

****