BILL MANHIRE
Some Things to Place in a Coffin
Hardboard & canvas, some leadhead nails.
A blowtorch, a spray-gun, a grinder.
A glass of pinot noir.
A boat with a motor, a boat with sails, a boat with oars.
France & Spain.
Some Lorca, some lacquer.
A fishing rod, a hammer.
The dog Matiu.
Timber & bricks. A Tiger Moth.
Some rope, some sky, some ocean.
The Stations of the Cross.
A coil of number 8 wire.
A slowness. A suddenness. A concentrating grunt.
Vidyapati’s Song.
Smoke & flags & banners.
The far north. The deep south.
A home-made home.
Harbour Cone.
The bishop, the knight, the rook.
A black Union Jack.
A circle, a line, a cross.
Some words & numbers.
Some corrugations.
Nailed down with iron against the rain.
Nailed down with rain.
With daisies.
With weather.
With gold.
With an old window-frame.