Hazardous Waste
All day, I kept seeing holes,
road works and barriers.
Gas mains and water pipes.
Signs with red lines slicing,
for our own safety,
for public protection.
Flashing yellow lights.
And holes, all these holes.
Darkness, danger and answers.
I thought of falling and him.
I’d buy him a T-shirt saying
“No Entry – Keep Out.”
But he doesn’t need it.
It’s the headline on tonight’s paper.
The scum on the untouched coffee.
His fingers tapping impatient
on his keyboard, while I flap
my mouth, fumbling language
he won’t try to translate.
My tongue is too obscure.
I give up and do the dishes
watching my open-book reflected
in the black window. Stroking knives
unseen under antiseptic bubbles.
Synthetic scents and toxins
flagged on detergent bottles.
Tomorrow I will see more signs.
More holes to tempt falling.
More labels. More neon symbols
to ward me away. Tomorrow I will
open my eyes to “Hazardous Waste.”
Hmmmm … nasty piece of work, tapping on that keyboard eeeeeeek!
Yes, and the narrator isn’t exactly an innocent soul…. stroking concealed knives in the washing up….
I had the same problem trying to open your blog from reader. You can’t click on the title, and when I tried your name, it lost me in cyberspace. Argh.
Oh dear – I’ve checked all my setting and it all looks as it should do, but weirdly it looks different logging on via different browsers… *heads over to the help forums*
Hm, hope you figure it out for it would discourage newbies from checking out your site.
Exactly. That’s what I’m worried about…. Again, thanks for letting me know.
“Flagged for staff attention” apparently on the forums…. Oh dear…. It’s weird cos I’ve not been doing anything different. Fingers crossed they can help….
Is your title typed in the title box? That is what is so odd–that the title cannot be selected in Reader.
Yes, that’s exactly it (I’ve seen it from a subscriber’s laptop as it appears in the reader). Yes, the title is in the tittle box and I’ve checked all the settings. Still awaiting a reply from staff…
Not sure whether to be more concerned about him with his fingers tapping away or her with the concealed knives? YIKES! It is an increasingly dangerous world. Great job Holly.
Thanks Lea – yes, it could go either way, but it’s not going to end well I fear….
Loved the understated sense of danger, the unspoken threats in this piece.
Thanks Kate – something’s got to give…
I thought I had replied to this!it has disappeared!
I said that I have a love//hate relationship with sinister and nasty. And this one, well wow! You could write a psychological thriller! I would watch with one eye closed or hide behind the sofa! Lol
Christine
Oh, how strange about the comment disappearing. I hadn’t seen anything, but WordPress does seem to be doing some strange things of late, so maybe it was having a moment.
I do like a sinister poem, I admit… but then I think you’ve gathered that by now…
Hi, I’ve nominated you for the Liebster Award, because your Blog is one of my Favourites. If you don’t have the time to nominate more, I would love to know your answers to the Questions I’ve asked, you can reply on the Link : http://imsteventruong.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/liebster-award/
Thanks Steven. I appreciate teh nomination. I don’t really do the awards in the conventional way, but I always appreciate someone thinking of my page. You’re very kind.