Pictures on a Wall

Crushing up the ice

For the winter party

I used to live for chaos

Now with the outhouse

I know the sound of a climbing bat

How to mow correctly

The more frequently you mow

The denser the lawn will be

Correctly now, she says

Well it’s a start, I say

But what I want

Is to hang pictures on a wall

Have you ever owned a trap for a mouse?

In the old days it was a wine bottle

The door a cork closed by hand

Mine’s glass

With a self-closing entrance

That keeps the creature in

It was sold to me

As a highly sensitive catcher

For the sake of the children

I release them into the park

The mice find their way back and often

It’s at a party

Nothing to do with the people

More like the pull

Of a petrol station at night

What is the difference between ash

And snow

She asked me in the interview

Where are your awards

And have you ever seen a greenhouse

Re-glazed

Surely, I said, in the first instance

One is required to smash every single pane

Her can of cola cracked

Joking aside, I said

Now hand me a brush

I’m hosing down the roof when I think of it

The best arrangements

They come in a daydream

I hear her take a snap

She must only see the base of me

The footprints of my swinging feet

The fine spray of water

Will it reach her