Above Nocturnal Corners Dance The Dust Motes

 

the online profile to knit-weave
looking beyond your very best now
back-engineering your very own alter
you enter inside your shadow-you
the walk-in glitch
the mouse dagger carves the doppelganger tooth fairy
both of you hitch the ride
both of you are the stranger guest..

the you pill
the message in a bottle is a hybrid clone
a psy-op on both sender and receiver
hopeful the black mirror evanescence may trigger
the crime scene to sparkle that now or never-voodoo..

a beautiful bonfire on an oil slick
flames shapely
all the dancing horses
waver and vanish abruptly in the gaze..

finally a wrap
your fourth wall bipolar
banging your head against your eyes startled and tired
you press upload..
then to relax you kidnap a nun to hijack a taxi to drive-by a canary..

..you then meet your fated target
or at least one that will do
the right lighting thing
the right angle thing
the beautifying app software thing
will not be there at the meet-up
not at the job or romance or one-nighter interview..

so you might sense disappointment
for there might not be that you there there
and they might sense your disappointment in them too
both absences present and standing to attention
the mirages only dissolve to diamond..

so what to do
perhaps on returning home you try even harder to render
handsomer/prettier/even more fun-loving and vivacious
more intense/more artistic/more intellectual/more sporty
more committed to the job opportunity
more committed to the universe
this universe any universe..
or..

you could lighten your load
hand yourself a break
ever wonder why so many are having breakdowns
ever wonder if at least some of this might be intended..

quite recently while i was at a terminus
my train delayed
the partial lockdown partially lifted
so you could call it a partial partial freedom day..

so a few people were milling around
more than would be the case
on let us say a partial partial partial freedom day
so bars and cafes and coffee shops were a quarter half-open
the masks drank breathing chins
on karaoke matt hancock sang matt hancock so softly
like he was au fait with the incoming karma thing..

and as i was looking up at the timetable
i noticed a man was stood outside a small restaurant
a tad anxiously his bright eyes were searching..

he was dressed for a night out
nice shirt and trousers
a light linen jacket for spring..

and i was about to gaze back up at the timetable
whence from the corner of my eye i caught sight of a woman
sensual elegant understated electronic
furtively half-hidden behind a shop door
he turned to gaze in her general direction..then away again..
perhaps the glass reflecting at him
meant he could not see..

back down she stared at her phone
she studied the screen
then she tilted her head up at him again
no hope..

then..
swishing behind her silhouette
she made her away trotting up the escalator
half covering her side profile
her hand a magnet
so inconspicuous..

but he was turned again in her direction..
a beat..
a beat..
a beat..

then..
lowering his eyes
down
he reflected..

then..
he placed his phone inside his jacket pocket
he strolled away slightly zig-zag
like a smart vacuum cleaner on night-stealth mode
above nocturnal corners dance the dust motes..

he stopped to look up at the timetable
his departing train arriving a few hours early..

another woman sitting nearby
was watching him thoughtfully
she had no phone in her hand
he did not see her..