WORDS CHASING HIM DOWN SHOEBOX STREETS

He hears scraps of conversation
walking past the pub

Words chasing him down shoebox streets

bitumen peels back
revealing more words to step on

Words chasing him down shoebox streets

The tram drivers on this route are the meanest in the City
You have to step out in front of the tram to hail them down

In the Mall
gargoyles and stone lions stare him down

Words chasing him down shoebox streets

In Prahran
the washing machines make him woozy


the front door of the terrace,
The letter box is painted caramel
A woman nursing a child answers

Words chasing him down shoebox streets

Does X live here? No. Sorry.
We moved in about seven years ago
Right house
Wrong decade

Words chasing him down shoebox streets

Back in the Mall
The religious fanatics hound him
gargoyles and stone lions stare him down
He lays his face on the wooden bench
And pulls his overcoat over his head

Words chasing him down shoebox streets




Malcolm Hill 2003