Amy De'Ath

Dreamboat

I think a melting slope is a cliché intended as a lure;

I want to grab my younger selves by the collars and

archive them.

I want every boat to turn its prow toward me.

I feel the cure is just around the corner, and the

figurehead already sees it.

No-one here can lift the softly fallen inevitable, then

none of them can speak with the rage it takes even to

touch coquettish sincerity and in the shade of this fact

my attitude rests on the pillow of the prow of your

neck, prisoner to my bathroom routine, waking

continuously to the same slope of hope, arranging

lunch-hours in blocks Tom & Jerry would have

blocked and unblocked, and so on, &c., &c.

I think compassion is a good excuse; I later opened

every cupboard looking for the nature of it.

I want the white wind to scorch my cheeks too, in the

darkness of impending heartbreak. In place of

compelling materialism it would be nice if

the sea-spray froze

luminous seeds authentically sad.

Sonnet

I believe a readable face as crickets

swallow gleaming buildings full of

living banking hearts,

I believe the grand ineloquence of

summer’s glue talking to you as if

pink axes in our reach,

and you, a click-clack landscape now

your thundering hero-organs chime

a way into my laundry tub.

I believe I’m down with this for shit

is all we have to do to make our

cobbled lottery love

a project with no truth to bear, light-

ness of touch I haven’t got

the calm and lovely air.

David

David the denoted and substantially

Annotated man. David, I didn’t mean

The inconvenient relaying of all we

Had shared to end on a luggage belt

To Italy. David, stop the ride. I want

To get off. For 23 Englishmen and

1 Italian irreversibly imploded I would

Have guaranteed all my love. David

Row into a battleship. David for Unicef.

David the bravest chicken there is. A

Man obscure and B sharp. Sympathy

Forever for living in a wheelchair, the man

Who on reaching critical mass is shot

Out of a Mossberg 12ga. and into my

Mouth. David leaves my mouth

Sedated but soon he rocks down

To the Costcutter to buy beans.

David, reign in your keynote speech

At the Costcutter. David made of

Oak. David diamond.

2010