May 4
1 min read
POETRY
the raw material.
sonnet.
the alleyway, encountered on a stroll -
damp wreckage of a battle with decay;
bamboo and rusted oil-drums lashed with frayed
electric cables; food-cart stowage, bowls
on wire-hanger hooks; dustbins of coals
steam sticky rice; fresh produce is arrayed
on rain-soaked plywood; midday nappers sway
in knotted-trash-bag hammocks they’ve unrolled.
beneath the damp and crumbling plaster walls,
the artifacts these desperate people craft
show dignity, resourcefulness and grace.
an open fusebox, empty save a small
and sleeping cat; atop, as on a raft,
small figurines of deities are placed.
