Pablum

The spoon weaves, teasingly,But the game soon dissolvesInto mealy-mouthed frustration. Cheeks stuffed full of unwanted, overprocessedNonsense. Mush, where real nutritionOught to be. The dilemma: swallow or spit? The biggest challenge is not evenThe blandness of the taste itself But the endlessness of the oncoming drivel. What shall we do today?Eat like a numbly obediently child?Or …

Hamartia

His mother holds the golden vaseThat holds the bones of her only sonThat hold the memory of AchillesThat holds an eternal question When she took her infant to the river StyxAnd dipped her child in the waters of deathAnd won him this underworldly armourAnd slept easier knowing he was protected What if instead she had …

Holding our breaths

A poem for election day Is this howThe Roman charioteersFelt when straddling two horses?Straining towards separate pathsDancing on the edge ofDisaster At leastThe Romans heldThe reins in their own two handsWe steer while yoked to madnessOn that at least weCan agree We hoverOn the future’sPrecipice HoldingOurBreaths Photo by Anastasiia Krutota on Unsplash

The level

I tilt the levelTrying to perfectlyBalance the caught breathOf the bubble trapped within Perhaps if it is carefully alignedEverything made straightThen the world willMake sense And maybeIf I can tilt myselfTo the right angle, thenI’ll be at peace with what isAnd with what is trapped inside Note: The initial concept for this was inspired by …

Teatime

The tragedy thatA full fridgeIs cheaper to runThan an empty one. So the columnistAdvises placingBowls of waterOn bare shelves. Now in homesAcross the countryHungry childrenWill open the door – Only to be met withTheir own reflections. Note: This was inspired by an article in The Guardian. I understand the necessary practicality of the advice, but …