Ralph Hancock
Sniffing for Sparks
On his knees again sniffing for sparks.
Switching on and off, cordite and blue flashes.
Passes on to the lights. Murderer, he waits for
the police. His grandmother dead on the front
page lies on the doormat. Taking out the plugs,
round he goes, up in the loft to check the
wiring. Tightens the water taps; turns them on
to turn them off again. Unscrews the plugs to
check the connections. And never finds the
body of his grandmother. The police know!
They watch him; every night he flees. Some
nights he joins the fire brigade to be a hero,
extinguish the charcoal embers beneath the
floorboards - but he cannot climb a ladder to
dowse the smouldering rafters. Checks the loft,
down, up again. Now he is feeling the chimney,
though there is no open grate. There might be
damp, woodworm in the boards, above his
grandmother’s grave. The cell is a comfort. At
last he feels safe, they have taken his keys and
his wallet - only his flies could be undone! The
face has gone.
Switching on and off, cordite and blue flashes.
Passes on to the lights. Murderer, he waits for
the police. His grandmother dead on the front
page lies on the doormat. Taking out the plugs,
round he goes, up in the loft to check the
wiring. Tightens the water taps; turns them on
to turn them off again. Unscrews the plugs to
check the connections. And never finds the
body of his grandmother. The police know!
They watch him; every night he flees. Some
nights he joins the fire brigade to be a hero,
extinguish the charcoal embers beneath the
floorboards - but he cannot climb a ladder to
dowse the smouldering rafters. Checks the loft,
down, up again. Now he is feeling the chimney,
though there is no open grate. There might be
damp, woodworm in the boards, above his
grandmother’s grave. The cell is a comfort. At
last he feels safe, they have taken his keys and
his wallet - only his flies could be undone! The
face has gone.
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