Kittiwake

"Forget it. I'm Ok.", said the Kittiwake. They're remarkable creatures. Think about the place that they are born into. I mean look at it. Yet you will never hear a Kittiwake complain, or be pathetic. They just get on with things. They are held in the arms of nature, and in a way, as a group, are protected, without them ever trying or knowing about it. Their biggest threat is us. We threaten the eggs which balance on the cliffs by our breath, and still they stand fast.

"It's no big deal," said the kittiwake "Everything balances out in the end."

In The Land of Inside Out

In the land of inside out
I felt awash in gentle rhythms
like a rinse cycle --
danced a thousand tangos with magpies.
I so wanted to understand
their laws of gravity
and traffic,
I kidnapped a cop,
made him drive in circles
while I tossed apples at taxi cabs.
The drivers cursed me in Dutch
and gave me money --
I was rich as a cat
and ate spider plants for water.
I'll never own a fur coat
so fine as my cat coat
in the land of inside out.

Battery Bedtime

I won't swallow
sea water or
the tiny bottle that says
"drink me"

won't insert a comma
or make my lines
similarly sane.

I'll watch you
moisturise your face
and carry the cat
outside

will think we can stay
in our state of grace
for good.