PAULA KING

 

and all events were too far removed

 

and the cat taps at the window to enter   come inside   night   and the cat tugged at the curtain
to   hang out   life   let me in   and cats eyes on the road   warning   and on the radio they
sound   a change   in climate   and posts of Pacific Youth to Germany   for representation
water   bottles on the table   and I have bronchitis   breathe in   cough   breathe out   cough
and the Melbourne cup rattles   blood in lungs   and the Doctor says   how is your   mood
generally now lately   and the emerged shares a link with the yet to be and says you should
enter   this black shadow monster   who   human   humanity   what   and I get up   for
instant water   and I didn’t let the cat in when it languished words   just tap tap tap   and Manus
Island   I never knew existed   but now I do   and the cat has a   dead bird   tried to come in  
the back door   and I would   too   if I was a cat   and the neighbours said   shoo you cat   and
I’m thinking often   now   the   tunnels   inside   the body   and under the ground   stranger
things
   have happened   and she offered to take   one hundred and fifty and you can   binge
binge binge
   and any deaths   will be on their   conscience   and the phrase weather forecaster
and the phrase merely a word   now-casting   out   without   a line     and   life   the leading
edge   of the atmosphere   and storm warnings   you spot the storms   you have an obligation  
you have the information     do something     the electricity was cut   power remained   but not  
in lost hands     there is now   no flow   and I hide half the citalopram   in the jelly meat   with
the worm tablet   and the bowl of water     and all events were   too far removed   from   our 
everyday   life   and   magnesium   I   hear can   help   you   sleep   at night

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paula King is an artist currently living in a small village in Aotearoa.