my life on a postcard

a tiny village / church bells / sunshine / forsythia softening the edges / all of us following each other nicely / the tippi-tap of polished shoes on asphalt / then father folds up our home / packs bundles of our clothes neat as bricks into suitcases that have no wheels / and tells us to swim to the new country / mother leads / it’s her place of birth after all / she dives headfirst into a cup of tea / just as it comes / and we follow / fresh fins stinging / bobbing along until our chins lift onto cliffs / sea breeze / fricatives and chips / first things first / get tidy / our tongues trimmed / our hands bound / my brother stumbles over his past / doesn’t wake up again / at the funeral we follow the coffin /  tippi-tap / our breaths spectres in front of our faces / we walk right into the haunting / I find a lover /  but she turns out too good to be true /  I let go and she floats up into the sky / I stand staring long after she is out of sight / I play twister but am the only one spinning /  I go to the doctor in knots /  there are only five types of pain he says / my mouth is a hoarder / my ribs thick with dishes that no longer exist / if you can’t swim you can’t leave the island / I take my walking stick and tippi-tippitap out of the waiting room / into a waiting room

Dillon Jaxx