Whale on the mantlepiece.
Gel pen recreation.
Cover me in glimmering things!

Bury the shiny bone dust
in the ashes of the earth’s crust.
Let the natural roll of dust dance!
Take it over the hill beyond me.

Into the crater,
into my last bed.
Into the taste of
natural things.

Dig your toes in
the sparkling sand and
please let me pry
open your mouth.
Look at all
the shiny words
on your tongue!

Can you spit them out?
Give us all a little birdsong?

I want to wait
like a sunstruck brigade
of sweet fucking starlings
Diving in the tall grass
Shrieking like babies.

I want to be a monkey
for a moment -
Something happened.
I can’t quite put my finger on it.