The Zero Suite (1)

Give Blood

go skateboarding
– Boy’s T-shirt


I’m going to wear jandals
today
taking a walk
on the wild side

when you just know
there’s nothing
they can
do to you

a tentative attempt
becomes the hero’s
salmon leap
our cat Zero

’s attack
on a blank
puppet
made of calico

I fulminate
to captive audiences
(taking the piss
no doubt

in furtive whispers)
not
the leap of faith
we bargained on

the fear that dogs our days


(26/1-7/2/08)

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This poem first appeared in the collection below:

Jack Ross. Kingdom of Alt (Auckland: Titus Books, 2010): 120.

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