Somewhere,

Somewhere,

Along the byways and highways

The wonder of things impacts,

Tearing through layers of perception

Misguided notions of temperament

The anger of loss

The way the earth spews out its discontent

The dirty suds of foam-flecked water

Throwing up flotsam

The spit and sputum of bottom feeders

Bloated and rotten

Flushed out from sewers in heavy rain.

The way old pain slips between the layers

Constructed as protection

The softness of a lover's kiss

The lack of morning breath in reminiscence

The loss of a brother’s love

A mother’s warm breast.

The absent-minded smile of a stranger

Listening to music internally

As clouds teem with menace

Only breaking in retrospect

As the weight of their indifference

Brings the sky down

To meet the earth in supplication

And the air crackles with electricity.

Walking is more than a necessity

The earth crumbles at the edges

Nothing remains safe

Constancy is a misnomer

In an ever-changing world

As the music plays on

With no connection

Emotional portability

On a grand scale.

It is the wonder of things

That brings me back

A moment of recognition

As a dragon boat floats by

A drum thumping loudly in the bow

The sound of thunder

Breaking into the water.

Everything collapses into itself

Until at the very last

A familiar face presses itself

Into the synapses and I return

To feel solid ground beneath my feet

The fancy of my flight resisted

The sound of partially incompetent musicians

Drifting on the breeze

From the pub on the corner

The tang of strong beer

The sway of drunken revellers

An invitation to dance

An acceptance of sorts

And the day becomes a Sunday again.