Frankenstein’s Classroom
We created it in the
school yard and the classroom
through faux sincerity
and tokenistic friendship
then snide commentary
whispered behind text books
followed by silence.
We mourned the death
of what we created
not because we were wrong
but because we hadn’t
attained perfection
Lists
I make lists
of Things to Do Today
or Before I Die
(whichever comes first)
Best Films to Watch
Albums to Buy
Best One-Liners as Comebacks
Girls I Wished I Kissed
Activities I Will Never Do
Reasons to Stay Home
Reasons to Go Out
Why Doughnuts Are the Ultimate
and why I can never
follow my heart
Vocabulary
You have heard me speak
with articulate arguments
and clumsy utterances
stuttered, stammered sentences
whispered desires and fantasies
paraphrases of quotes
I think are funny
and lengthy diatribes
about the insignificant
yet I have not
spoken a single
word
Paper Aeroplanes
he folds his words
into formations for flight
released into the void
to catch the nearest wind
some fall to the ground
as lifeless birds
others catch the draft
and drift over the horizon
an albatross with no land
he folds his words
and sends them
forth in flight
Tethered
Tethered to the eternal
beyond the darkness
the rope bears my weight.
It is frayed
wispy tendrils floating.
A rope of three cords
is not easily broken
but it is easily picked apart.
I return to tying knots
to tether me
for one more day
Vision
In the valley I feel
the restrictive comfort
of boundaries
the tangible walls
I cling to
feeling my way through
At the peak of the hill
the vista overwhelms
with no wall
to stabilise and steady
I return to the valley
Shopping Trolley Dancing
Waiting in the queue
Her hand on the trolley bar
The grocery store muzak
Shifts her feet to first position
A perfect “V”
Her arms move with rusty
but remembered grace
through first, second, third,
fourth and fifth.
An interruption
“Mum, you’re embarrassing us.”
Telephone Booth
we pretended to be Superman
checked for loose coins
listened to the dial tone
wondered if we could
make it ring
Now I listen to the dial tone
a comfortable static
pausing before I dial
and remember the
conversations we never had
but wished we did
The School Reunion
Nothing has changed
After 20 years
Sitting around
Recounting weekend stories
Anecdotes and non-sequiturs
And still questioning
Our own identity
hidden behind a
uniform of a
different type
A Catalogue of Saviours
He flicks the pages
of the junk mail catalogues:
the sacred texts
of the emperor’s
new clothes
and believes
in their righteousness
(plus postage and handling
allow 2-3 weeks for delivery)
I am an English teacher and drummer/percussionist with an interest in literary pursuits, creative endeavours, rhythmic permutations, theological amplifications and comedic outbursts.
Here you will find my creative detritus: articles on living a creative life and writing explorations.
And other ideas I have snaffled from the papers stuck on the fridge door.
Twitter: @RevHappiness
Instagram: @handwrittenpages
My collaborative epistolary novel, "Post Marked: Piper's Reach," written with Jodi Cleghorn (@JodiCleghorn) out now via Vine Leaves Press.
Come and browse through the library; there is no need to be silent.
A Fullness in Brevity - Adam Byatt 