My Landscape is Not Land
The Paperbacks
They're lurking at each stop: a sea of expatriate
Americans who will reveal their ignorance with zeal.
They natter at me in their unbroken English,
then indulge in outdoor drinking sprees "just for the novelty."
Stars in this tourist sky
bleached out by city lights again.
Coins weigh down my pockets with their elusive value,
and it makes me to spend them all on more alcohol.
Until I can barely stand. Until my landscape is not land.
Just the sounds of passing things. Just remembering...
Stars in the swollen sky
reach out for you tonight, again.
These countries passing like a film unspooled by hand,
coloured by your absence,
I... suddenly I'm learning how
something that makes a constant sound
becomes a default silence then,
as it repeats again and again and again.
Stars in another sky
shine for your distant eyes, again.
Share
More from The Paperbacks
Communicated Through Blood
The Paperbacks
No Fatalities
The Paperbacks
In the Absence of Notable Guests
The Paperbacks
Holocaust Art
The Paperbacks
Rattled By Failure
The Paperbacks
Inspired Casting
The Paperbacks
Publish or Perish
The Paperbacks
Things Get Abstract
The Paperbacks
Make Art
The Paperbacks
A Dizzy Chain of Bees
The Paperbacks
Hesitation Marks
The Paperbacks
Plans in Advance
The Paperbacks
Institutions
The Paperbacks
Skinny Sidewalks
The Paperbacks
A Northern Allowance
The Paperbacks
All Available Light
The Paperbacks
Clifton Square
The Paperbacks
Raise a Styrofoam Cup
The Paperbacks
Books As Furniture
The Paperbacks
An Episode of Sparrows
The Paperbacks