postbox panting tongue drooping mouldy snail licked papers
stepping off hot sidewalk crooked gate cool to the touch
open just enough slip through rough hewn stone path

garden thick unkempt spindly tall weeds
white seeds explode brush past touch recoil
honey-scented flowers beckoning butterflies
dragonflies hunting black pond heavy whirring
coppertail skinks scurry wattle birds flutter

small red tiled porch hard cold
spiderweb trapeze old grey hanging
flecked ceiling festooned porch light gecko
vacant hazel eyes nightmoth frenzy replete

round knob panelled blue door twist push
shove again sticky jamb spreads open eyes wide
dark floorboards creak droppings in kitchen
fridge door real estate agents plumbers electricians
and I MUST lose weight above My Shopping List
calendar roses red notes exhorting action – to whom?

thelonious monk madonna doors marley van morrison
love actually kate bush batman begins firefly clockwork orange
the office coupling lord of the rings fawlty towers apocalypse now
photos tarnished silver frames wall paintings awry
trophies long forgotten peeling shelves
 
dark timber redolent great big poster bed
jeans blouse on the bed wardrobe jaw open
bedroom banners californication nirvana
smashing pumpkins anthony kiedis

storm dark comes in quick air boom-cracks
windows jar shuddering rain cascades down chattering gutters
then sun out in steamy backyard amidst dripping fruit trees
grimy garage swallow nest daubed scorpion spider
old dolls house with pink tea set
body boards fishing rods skis

crooked gate damp to the touch
open just enough slip through
mascara-smudged abandoned
house watches me leave