2 December 2023

while dressing I was curiously awoken to
a subtle change in the air
that some tweak of the zeitgeist
had rippled through to a mitochondrial-level depth of existence

perhaps the sun had rolled over in its sleep
turning in a tasty nap
with a burst of joy
that sent forth a wave of fresh neutrinos
that are now passing through us all
on their way through the universe
rinsing us with a new flavoured tint
perhaps sweeter
perhaps with a hint of jasmine

Kissinger is dead – hoorah!
McGowan is dead – what a shame!
two radically different lives
joined only in fame and
juxtaposed obituaries
rarely are we compelled to reconcile
such extremes of human character
stirred into the familiar personas of
war criminal and dissolute poet
Jew and Catholic
killer and singer

each outsider finds their own path
clash, splinter, fall, retrieve
blow into the mouth and revive
we are all made of clay

I know I am surrounded by those in
unexpressed turbulence and disorder
but today my internal settings are tending towards equilibrium
despite the vissicitudes
taking time in the warm sun
with espresso (dressed)
the street appears to have a gentle sleepwalkingness to it
or maybe drowsy is the better word
drowsiness in an unhurried
beforecoffee way
peppered by neutrinos and the endless news cycle
where facts and opinions
are pulled from drawers
shaken of dust
a history at last laid to rest
in conversations to be forgotten tomorrow  

O’Hara would approve
when I get home I shall consult him