A PIECEMEAL CRISIS
We were nearly two months into spring, only
moments away from summer, and yet, yet,
though three swifts had returned from Africa,
though a pair of ungainly wood pigeons
courted in a neighbour’s gutter, though there were
hot days perfumed with plants and bee laden,
wintry winds from the north harried clouds south,
and the sparrows were hesitant to lay,
the laburnum reluctant to unfurl
its golden curlicues. The Four Horsemen
are coming, not at a canter but
crabwise in dressage. Armageddon
is approaching, not with a bang and a flash
but little by little.
Note: This piece has also been published in EXTERMINATING ANGEL PRESS THE MAGAZINE.
Harvey Lillywhite
July 28, 2023‘The Four Horsemen
are coming, not at a canter but
crabwise in dressage.’
Brilliant lines. How regal and altogether proper the collapse of the livable environment…most don’t want to notice or care…frogs in a heating kettle
David Press
July 29, 2023What a fantastic image of the 4 horsemen doing dressage! Although, maybe this summer they’ve broken into a gallop chased by forest fires?