Page 11 - Contrast1979v22n2

Mental Breakdown, as Compared

How easy to slip September 10th, 1978.
on ice,
a waxed floor, *
a marble sill,
a glazed step, Her hands are gentle. They touch small birds.
wet grass, They touch trees.
fall leaves,
linoleum, tile, In fields she sits and listens. She can hear
a varnished hall, the whirr of insects' wings. In the distance she
new flagstone, hears the sounds of cities burning. But
a ladder. she tells no-one.

Not to mention trip They think she is dumb and use her body for
in or out of a car, their own clumsy abuses. But at night they
over a blanket, never hear her singing, out in the fields.
a pillow, a small among the trees. She sings of small birds and
stick, a twisted insect wings and the sound of cities burning.
branch, a dog.
or a rolled sock. Her hands are gentle.

Dave Ward

Nothing solid about it, 9
a surveyor's journey, watching
every step, needing a sextant.
You can learn from looking back;
once you're over it.

Harold Fleming