Kingfisher:
an emission of blue light
resulting from
the discharge of electricity
following the path
of shortest distance
between two trees
along a river
and flaring momentarily
at the tip of the cathodic branch
before termination of the event;
a shy bird.
That blackness, beyond the storage boxes,
tins of polish, hoover and copper kettle
was, in the beginning, a solid-looking barrier;
I had no intention of going near it.
Time passed, I ventured further. On my knees
into the space, discovering shadowy discards,
dismantled appliances, things unknown to me, perhaps
from an earlier time and still that pitch unknown ahead of me.
A cave, a bottomless shaft to Australia, to Hell?
Eventually I breached the darkness and found it stopped
right there, wood; a prosaic end to my fantasies,
a step out of childhood.
