The candle shies away
from the breeze,
warmth caressing the tabletop
where dusty specks
fall in a smothering touch.
In the other corner
a cassette whirls,
memory spiralling out in threads
and the stereo croaks:
Transport, motorways and tramlines
Swarm of beings,
coats, collars, tendons,
floats by outside.
A microbial colony,
flagella shaking in denial,
faces sheathed by pili,
festering, aggregating.
Starting and then stopping, taking off and landing
Spool splays, kite sways,
the wind teasing a flight.
tis her fleeting lure yet,
and the patang so declines.
Childish howls, rent sails,
echoing, piercing.
The emptiest of feelings, disappointed people
Palls shroud the Sun,
a shadow congealing upon
the surface like a cold
weight upon their shoulders.
Concrete waste, cement moor, rubble shatters and burns.
Eroding, decaying.
clinging onto bottles, when it comes, its so, so disappointing
Flocks of sheep
graze on deathly throes.
Drunken haze, powdered stupor,
phialled hope, dangerous pleasures.
Unravelling, dissolving.
Let down and hanging around
The wick is burning away,
the stump a waning stand.
Waxy pearls cling to the trunk,
like frost on Autumn leaves.
The cassette, empty, whirls,
its strands billowing out,
and the stereo ends the song
with one final tone:
Crushed like a bug in the ground
Song used: Let Down by Radiohead
Artwork by: Max Beckmann
