OLD LOVE Port Fairy Like calcified roots of ancient trees on The Crags Old love is a confetti of Baci messages shredded A ring of turquoise opals with snag-toothed edges Your photo in a hundred pieces fragged The wink of harbour lights washed out by the glare of dawn A tape of Pachelbel’s Canon in the glove box unravelling Old love is that potpourri of rose petals mouldering The wreath of smoke from your Gitanes Old love is a packet of condoms with use-by date faded Broken struts and tattered membrane of our double brolly A sou-easterly bustering through Sandhills Cemetery A half-empty bottle of Pimms jaded Old love is cocky behind bars in screechy rave A beached seal socketless, maggoty, fly-blown That fairy penguin stiff, a discarded oven mitten The eyestalks of crayfish boiling in watery grave
Michael Small
January, 1991; September, 2004
published The Mozzie, vol.12, issue 8, September, 2004 Swag O’ Verse, 2004