Isolate Self

alone stroked pen blade of quiff face origami wire
sculpture like Aunt Rose’s belly laugh blessing the soft cliff place

air in swiped cloth armour loving the smell of suited
rust and forgery

our knell wished dragon linked file sized crisp packet
data-ing down to desiccate things into smaller zip attachments

when will it ever be returned the library code of practice
that unread rule unspoken smile 2 m. between us breath thick

unsure where the swearing will come from in the history of
this I watch news waiting and again and check phone updates

I swipe clean wash hands swipe scroll pondering a belly fully
folded belted and braced with doubt greeting the future here

a passing resemblance to shade, the light grainy textured in photograph
its age tint and nicotine curl at edges the corners stuck gracefully

on black pages ring bound circling of wagons the whoops distant
the smell of powder horses whining with thirst shoes tight as pinpricks

the whole earth inverted comma-ed paused dotted i’s banished to
weedbeds and dead airports clown face caterers the graded death masks

our age is repeated prismed in drops of sweat worry beads musterings of
courage questioning altercations mastering the nexus our head ball game show

colour chart blood scan beyond sound or words or cry that whisper is our
gull shaped winglets tiring in place conjuring sequels animating cardboard

prayers and dreams corralled in twilight the bus stop empty of visitations of
escape the crowd dispersed behind its doors all ages warmed by the unknown

how bright is the screen, that distant star shaped pinprick eternity its speaker turned
to half volumed respect waiting by an ear the width of a grassblade reeding in

a gasp of blowing breath is filling the bladder resonating in the pipes how you
ended up in France by stroke of luck skin of teeth even though not as young

as we first met when there was space inside us left spare but now is no more and is all the same
continual please imagine my breath is somehow something we have managed to share

©macd