I HAVE EATEN THE DEAD FOR BREAKFAST

 
 
*Worm Moon sets
 
How impressive is the jay
as it leaves no echo in the sky
 
these eyes search
but have no luck saved up
 
my focus switches
 
I watch the clouds passing
to work out the planet’s speed
 
it is very fast today
 
the disquiet in my stomach
is not motion sickness
but swallowed moonlight
 
it wriggles, soft like steam
 
I have eaten the dead for breakfast
 
their language and songs
their superstitions
 
now each one
pinches inside to make my outside pink
 
candy-floss coloured feathers
 
so I may rise
in the fresh air
 
higher than the jay
 
leave a trail
so others can find me
sleeping on The Moon

/
Thom Boulton

Poet Laureate for Plymouth (2016-20)
Event Co-ordinator for The Deadbeat Hotel (Live Events)
www.thomboulton.com