Thursday, January 10, 2019

Less, much less by Moniza Alvi


Less, much less

He hardly spoke any words
only two — 
or you could call it one
 
the last thing
he said
was bye-bye
 
flight-feathers
veined and hairlike
with interlocking barbules
 
of  sound
the bye-bye trapped
a breath of air
 
the two linked words
drifted out
on a calm lake
 
that lay there
with a single purpose — 
to receive final words
 
and allow them
to drift on its surface
out and further out
 
on the lake of  thought
and composure
encircled by mountains
 
the simple phrase
soared upwards
to the highest peak
 
where it would be planted
like a flag
would eventually be enshrined
 
each identical word carefully
balanced either side
of the invisible join — 
 
like baby talk
he put equal emphasis
on each word
 
his face was pinched
and his bird beak
very prominent
 
there have never been
two joined words
with so much space around them
 
pack up all my cares and woes
light the light
I’ll arrive late tonight
 
blackbird     bye bye
 
bye


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