Clad in darkened bronze
Dulled by rain and gathering moss
Mottled. Worn.
Each weary knot
Cracked. Split.
Time's ten thousand cuts

Bearing its branched spears
Shot through by corkscrew worm-holes
Broken. Blunted.
Every splintered spine
Twisted. Torn.
Creaking when the wind blows

Bristling with a million swords
Withering from green to brown
Spoilt. Stunted.
All the tiny blades
Rusted. Bit.
Flakes hang on to veins

Bracing against the storm
Bent with weariness and age
Tired. Pained.
Every grown ring
Spent....

A mournful wail beats up the air
Carried by charred paper-money wings
Flows up block stairs, spurts up lift shafts
To prime the ear and pluck the eye
As if asking to be followed
Answering, a rumbling swell arises
Murmured chants grow stronger, firmer
Emboldened by the player's every note

The congregation, decked in their ceremonials
Full-sleeved, full-buttoned, chequered shirts
Frayed sandals hidden by too-long jeans
Saris, colour lost today, worn black
Young boys sweating under collared tees

They...

A mournful wail beats up the air
Carried by charred paper-money wings
Flows up block stairs, spurts up lift shafts
To prime the ear and pluck the eye
As if asking to be followed
Answering, a rumbling swell arises
Murmured chants grow stronger, firmer
Emboldened by the player's every note

The congregation, decked in their ceremonials
Full-sleeved, full-buttoned, chequered shirts
Frayed sandals hidden by too-long jeans
Saris, colour lost today, worn black
Young boys sweating under collared tees

They...

When we shared the music
One bud in my ear, the other in 
Yours
Why did it end?
Seal - Kiss From a Rose (1994)
Why did the final chord strike, why
Didn't it begin again from the start, why
Couldn't it loop to eternity?

When we shared the evening
The rain falling, splitting the
Light
Why did it end?
1743 hours
Why did the sun fade, why
Didn't the raindrops freeze, why
Couldn't their prismatic glow last forever?

When...

9) This old man, 
He played nine,
He played knick-knack on her spine
With a knick-knack paddle-bat
Give a cat the whack
This old man 
Came rolling home

8) This old man, 
He played eight,
He played on his age-old hate,
With a boom-crash 
Void-deck-dash
Give a cat the bash
This old man 
Came rolling home

7) This old man, 
He played seven
He recalls the first at eleven
With a tock-tick 
Iron-lick
Give a cat the kick
This old...

27 June 1880
 
Dear Papa
 
It has been a while since you wrote me. Aunt Dunya says it is because you are still getting used to living outside Saint Petersburg. She tells me your new job is a secret. That does not mean you cannot tell me! It can be our secret!
 
I think I have finally become used to living in Aunt Dunya’s house. I remember that I would wake up thinking I was in Saint...

27 June 1880
 
Dear Papa
 
It has been a while since you wrote me. Aunt Dunya says it is because you are still getting used to living outside Saint Petersburg. She tells me your new job is a secret. That does not mean you cannot tell me! It can be our secret!
 
I think I have finally become used to living in Aunt Dunya’s house. I remember that I would wake up thinking I was in Saint...

27 June 1880
 
Dear Papa
 
It has been a while since you wrote me. Aunt Dunya says it is because you are still getting used to living outside Saint Petersburg. She tells me your new job is a secret. That does not mean you cannot tell me! It can be our secret!
 
I think I have finally become used to living in Aunt Dunya’s house. I remember when I first came I would wake up and think...

27 June 1880
 
Dear Papa
 
It has been a while since you wrote me. Aunt Dunya says it is because you are still getting used to living outside Saint Petersburg. She tells me your new job is a secret. That does not mean you cannot tell me! It can be our secret!
 
I think I have finally become used to living in Aunt Dunya’s house. I remember when I first came I would wake up and think...