Appearance and Apparition
He pirouetted into the room, the lonely dancer
With moon-blown hair.
Along the way he brushed the sea
Gathering it up like dust.
Each morning seated on my porch
I welcomed his unseen arrival
A coffee in one hand a smile in the other
And toasted his return,
Admiring the steps he took, admiring
His powers of invention, as he soared
Died and soared again. After an hour
The illusion shattered I went back into the house
Raindrops fell like atomic bombs.
Sunrise collided with the changing earth
A crazy boy reminded me of my past
The tabernacle at the end of my road
Grew rose coloured blisters
The superstore nearby became emblazoned
With frost, cars vomited out their saturnine
Grease. He slid away in a slither of thought
Wrapping up the earth with his toes.
Stanley Wilkin is a lecturer and exam marker now living in Portugal.