What once was

© Julie Trémouilhe

Pores in the black ground under the magnolia tree
Remains of what once was grass
Stirred up by blue tits
Beaks and feet desperately seeking
He would stay there
At the frontier of backyards
If only stood still a realm of wild things
Untamed
His mind digs in yesterday’s dream
Ribbons of flesh thrown in the sky
Vault patterns taking the shape of a chapel in the dry air of the savannah
Where antelopes devoured the gutted lion king
Strings of meat jumped around their neck
Bones rolled under a thousand hooves
They roamed the earth laughing
He would stay there
Bent upon what once was love
If love could be
Unfettered
The ghosts he summons
When he struggles to
Be the bigger man
He wonders if people
Invite demons to sit at their table
The way he does
Dancing with old faces
He’s at his best
To please no one
A purple liquid high and touching the ceiling he says
Here’s to.