Poem 364

To live one’s life is not as simple as crossing a field, as the Russian proverb has it … this is about coming to an impasse when ‘fight or flight’ is ignored in favour of ‘freeze’ … true story about the hotel dog …

Paralysis

There is a shadow across the year
dark as the axle shadow the cat crouches under
and stays under when the engine starts
the throb enclosing

my mother's dog crept beneath the hotel
for shelter from the fire
they found the melted silver drop of his tag
and that was all

this year's heavy bedclothes
draw themselves up over my face
it falls to me
inexorably
to make a move
to choose which set of wheels
to run out under
into the world

choose
                 brain unstick

move
            claws unclench