news
of
genocide
& war
receded
to be replaced by
pestilence
millions rose
from the dead
while the rest of us
jumped to conclusions
that came out of nowhere
only to then figure out
how we reached them
shedding layers of
complexity (& wondering how
everyone seemed
to be getting richer)
as we retraced
our steps variously
to middle age
to youth
to childhood
& yes
as time went on
it was good to relive
all the fun we had sometimes
it got so warm
you had to wind down the window
and when you did
you could hear Bach
played in retrograde
and catch glimpses of
girls (mostly) playing violins
through the open windows of
suburban houses
I stopped at a café
& although the food was cheap
my money wasn’t good enough for them
(a man’s head on the coinage:
yenom ngierof ekat t’nod ew evol yrros)
and although I had a card
I remembered how
I’d changed the PIN
a couple of times in the past
but it was okay though
as I’d eaten already
I lingered listening to
D:REAM on the jukebox singing
retteB teG ylnO naC sgnihT
& knew
from then on
they could only get worse
.
Dominic Rivron
Picture Bernt Notke
.