Black Rice

on a bleak Monday morning
holding my head
everything tastes right
permanent daylight
neatly stained fences and gates
lions to tame
cut through the front yard
you were a stranger
scenery you’ve cut and glued
the scent of tropical ash underneath your shoes
black rice suddenly spills and drifts apart
a swelling ocean swallows me but all i really want’s just another breath
black rice, lady we knew right from the start
right from the start
and your plants become a chore
stripes on the pane
lashes so vibrant
left on the table
with your chalk and trembling chair
you look like a painting
out on the sidewalk
noone was watching
fighting up this flight of stairs
your anonymous lovers braid a dazzling chain
Black rice suddenly spills and drifts apart
bricks are rising in the blue
you dread the sight of this place
its too dry its true
black rice, lady we knew right from the start
right from the start