Poem

Four Poems

Mark Ford

Decree Absolute

                                                                  ...pink- 

veined blossoms falling, the face, lightly 
tattooed, of a god 
carved, frowning, 
into the bole 
of a lime-tree ... tchack-tchack tsk 
tchack-tchack 
tsk laments 
a fidgety stonechat, inflating 
his rusty breast, his wings and tail 
a blur; one  
restless, beady eye 
fastens on a tiny, green-shelled snail gliding 
over a shadowy patch of roots 
and drifted petals 
and moss.

To read the rest of this piece, purchase the issue.