September 11, 2019Missive

All good.

naturecitypoliticstimelovemortality

All good.

Presidential rhetoric.

There is nothing

In the words

But an excuse

Some offer an apology

Written as an afterthought

On the back of a broken promise

Folded into a pocket square

Placed in full view

Waiting to be tugged

An old joke

With a visual punch-line

When a hoary knee

Is raised

Up and down

Not in protest

Unless the ligament snaps,

In retrospect

A few choice words

Might then be unleashed

On an unsuspecting world

Too much is made

Of persistence

The chatter never stops

When nothing is said

Or understood

As something different

Unless couched

In familiar language

Even a price list

Has its moments

The banal repetition

Of the cost

Without consideration

Of its value

Prosaic is a good word

Packed full

Of threadbare stereotypes

And a run-of-the-mill

Backstory

Where have I heard

That one before?

Pass the peas

Mister President

The 12th of September

It would be a lovely view

If not for the wall

There would be mountains

Enough to climb

Birds of prey

Circling the grassland

Fallow lies the field

Closest to the sea

Where white horses play

Children frolic

In a playground

Purpose built

To satisfy demand

With an eye on

Health and safety

As approved by committee

To keep kids out

Of the Mangrove

Some things are

Never seen again

Listen to the crabs

Clicking their claws

More than a match

For a puppy dogs paws

A walker wears Ray Bans

On the top of his head

Left his hat on the bed

And can feel the heat

Of the sun

Still on the rise

A look of surprise

On his face

When his feet

Sink up over his ankles

It rankles

When he should have

Seen it coming

Which he would

If not for the wall

It would be a good view

For the imagination

A movie screen

With realistic animation

Captivating images

Of summer vacations

Aegean seas

Bougainvillea

Memories

So many colours

Indigo to India

Brighter than light

Wall to wall blue

Sailing over the edge

Of the house next door

With the blinds drawn

Into the world beyond

Where she is waiting

On the other side

Beyond the wall

It is a wonderful view.