Poems from
Scenes & Visions
by Michael Cope

Poetry

Rain
GHAAP
Scenes & Visions
Some Examples of
       Silence
for the time being
Crossing the Desert
back view
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The crumpling of papers

Squatting near the rubbish bin,
he picks the crumpled papers up
and stuffs them in.

When it's filled he stands upright,
compacts them downward with his foot
and squats again to get the rest.

He puts the file back in his bag
and hunches in front of the mirror.
Looks at his face in the mottled glass,

wonders whether he should grow a beard
(it would be black with a salting of grey,
a pirate with pale dark skin.)

Then he runs water at the sink.
The cold tap splutters and spits
before its certain stream pours out.

With a dampened hand he pats his face
and smiles, baring long horse teeth.
Outside again he takes his place

in the chair on the creaking balcony.
Warmth from the day rolls up from the lawn.
He narrows his eyes in the painful light
wishing for shade and dark glasses.

Cars move in the street below.
A young woman in a floral dress
tries to entice a languid cat
from its perch up high on a whitewashed wall,

but the cat ignores her overture
and she has to stretch up on her toes
to scratch it underneath the chin.

The words "HANG ANC SCUM WITH PIANO WIRE"
have been spray-painted on the wall.
Neither he nor the young woman
nor the cat seem aware of this.

The woman moves on, a skip in her step.
The gun on Signal Hill marks noon
with its echoing report.

Squatting near the bin again,
he picks a ball of paper up
crushes it down to the size of a nut,
flicks it into the glaring day.