Gwil James Thomas
A Hero’s Death for The Poet.
Circa 762,
sailing down
The Yangtze River,
drunk on rice wine -
they say that upon seeing
the moon’s reflection
in the water that evening,
Li Po became so lost
in its beauty,
that he fell from his boat
and drowned
trying to reach a moonbeam -
an exit so full of
mystery and martyrdom,
that the legitimacy of any of it
is still being debated centuries on -
all in all,
a fucking fitting ending
for any poet.
///
Lukewarm Cream Soda.
As a nipper
sat in the tall grass
of the park with
my nan and little sister,
I drink a lukewarm
cream soda,
my arm throbbing from
falling out of the tree -
my nan lights
another cigarette when
from nowhere
a low flying seagull
takes a tremendous shit
down her shoulder
and I want to laugh
and my sister
starts to cry -
but my nan just sits there
exhales some smoke
and says ‘Such is life,’
and I have no idea
what that means -
so in turn,
I find the seagull
in the sky
and watch it disappear
into the tangerine sunset -
the day already
belonging to the past.
///
Constant Dopamine Orgasm.
In a dream I was a helium balloon, let loose into the sky, circling a beautiful view before I went pop. Eventually pieces of me were picked up by seagulls and a girl that’s in someone else’s life now. Then I’m awake in the witching hour, restless and alone again, as a rain pours down outside and a tree branch scratches at the window. My thoughts fill this room like sardines in a can and sometimes that gets a little too much. But, I’ll remind myself that life isn’t a constant dopamine orgasm. Both good and bad things will pass. Choose what you hold onto and what you let go of, wisely. Sunrise will be here soon enough.
///
©Alchemy & Elegy