Not every day
I slow down enough
To notice my heart
Confused
By a clock ticking too fast
Against a lazy jazz beat
I rest my cheek on the table
If could be pinned down like this
Locked into the warm contact
With wood
And my arms, the colour
Of unseasoned pine
Could grow out into planks -
Better - into ships,
I’d dream of fantastical figureheads
Swallowed by wild waters
I’d wake up – wood grain
Tattooed into my skin -
Into the same evening prayer:
Please don’t stop
Please don’t stop
Please don’t stop
With wood
And my arms, the colour
Of unseasoned pine
Could grow out into planks -
Better - into ships,
I’d dream of fantastical figureheads
Swallowed by wild waters
I’d wake up – wood grain
Tattooed into my skin -
Into the same evening prayer:
Please don’t stop
Please don’t stop
Please don’t stop
