A Town Like Parataxis (4)

Swallows and Amazons

Man is a printing animal
born of opposableto study collagen
typecull phrases – cerebralGreen-backdon’t drop those
excesseggs (I’ve used that phrase
before
That was your truest voice
you never saw yourselfA Hitchcock hero
in ermine – TsarWar is badStop biting them
of all the rushesWar is bad becauseadminister a
swimming Nor’-nor’-westWar is bad because itslapStop touching it
kills the innocentadminister a
totStop
Forget
sequencesis
rememberasratfaced
nothingnothingcloud
doesabove
the
motorboat

A Town Like Parataxis (5)

Cheating Heart
(Between Greymouth and Westport, February ’99)


BUS-DRIVERGIRLRADIO

D’you remember the Kobe earthquake?
…Your cheatin’ heart …
You must sleep soundly
You must have been really tired
…will make you weep …
D’you wave to each other in Japan?
…You’ll cry and cry …
D’you drink green tea?
…and try to sleep …
Does the gold-mine sign say “Open”?
…but sleep won’t come …
If they want a day off, they take it
…the whole night through …
You can go in there and watch them
If you want to
…Your cheatin’ heart …
I’ve been to Australia six times
…will tell on you …
We keep them in a cage up there
in Auckland

A Town Like Parataxis (6)

MIRACLE OF LIFE

A Town Like Parataxis

ChristI – WINTER’S
perfumeTALE
headturn
hurry to the escalator
stop

I don’t have much
have much of a sense
of a sense of direction

Blue scarf
side glance
umbrella
point back
necklace

go home & come back
yeah
have something to eat
go home & come back
yeah



A creaking signII – WALKING
& wind-chimesHOME
& OrionON A
CLEAR
shoes impactstaccatoEVENING

I remember they drove us
crazy, summer nights

got them … fifteen years ago?

what’s with them?
never used to
twinkle

kept now for tango

wood, with dates of
services, the daily vigil
no wonder neighbours curse
every light



Louise SwarbrickIII – WYSIWYG
the senior
flight attendant

LIFE VEST UNDER
YOUR SEAT
It’s grey outside

a pearl-grey day
Who ordered
dates for lunch?

Time for a change