Douglas Houston
Resident Aliens
An unusual interest in sweet wrappers
Lying amid the dusty grass and clover
Was causing him to stare at the ground.
The green, the August light, the air, its warmth
Were the tank in which his senses floated
With work switched off and nothing more to do.
These are the ones for whom the world breaks down
Till no angle of contact can remain.
Each is locked in behind a settled frown.
Such people, we assure you, are not sane.
This one drinks, enough to ensure mornings
Are slightly unpleasant to touch
With residues from nightly immersions
That effect a religious connection
With the fact, watery and soporific,
Of beer as something man relies upon.
These types are those whose lives float in deep space
Out past soap operas and reality shows.
They're kicked out of the party in disgrace,
Unplugged and set adrift, the dialogue closed.
He's taken to the road, having endured
The loss of work, of wife and kids, the rest.
He camped one night beside a boisterous stream
Whose noise merged with a downpour on his tent
And spoke another language for the world
He understood but can no longer hear.
There is no hope for these, for they have passed
Beyond the checkout point with no transaction.
We do not need them, so let no 'Alas'
Obscure our right to feel this satisfaction.
Page(s) 92
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