Poems
Words…
Words fall out of my pocket
Gratuitous sentences milling around the water cooler
There are moments when I am too embarrassed to pick them up
Stairwells and elevators are the regular black spots
They stick to my size 11 shoes like gum stretching for existence
Sometimes I think so hard for so long
And then nothing happens
I wonder why
I get comfortable on the 423 en route to Marrickville
I’m the lady standing up in the back scratching her mind in public
Everybody leaves me alone
Conversing with whispers
The transit cops lean in on stand-by
Perhaps they would prefer I kept my mouth shut
I read out aloud the paid advertisement
Arching above the bus driver’s 5 O’clock shadowy head
In bold italic font it screams at the passengers
“Don’t be afraid to turn the page”
My treadmill thoughts whilst consistent
Remain unfit for public consumption
I sing like a bridled bird in a wired cage
Some words are like a precious ache
They kneel for no one
“quote – unquote”
“to come up for air
after swimming inside
the sweetest Shiraz
the deepest purple
the imploding silk
is like nothing
one can imagine...
...a dismembered trolley
bearing sandalwood candles
caressing essential oils
rattling through
the suburban car park
on insufficient funds
at the local markets
over a lazy Sunday
is like time elapsed
compared to your warmth”