Slates

One day left to filch. Seersucker suits. Shocks
of hair. A mitten with no thumb. Two pennies
rubbed together. Triangular picture frames.

Sparks in darkness. Ashes in the afternoon. How
suddenly the box was empty. The preposition
about. The toughened glass. Why horses become
glue. A boat on dry land miles from the river.

All day aprons. Roof repairs. Slip-covered
couches. A restaurant closed for the holidays.
Fingertips. The sky an unusual shape.

The infrequency of pencil. Hills with trees on
them. Leaves with no trees on them. Where pencils
are said to come from. Tuesdays. A curve
not a corner. Hands holding nothing. Mealtimes.

Foot taps. A vase pronounced the American way:
vase. Grey not blonde. Four blue eyes. Three for
the price of two. One more way of saying zilch.


© Emily Zaborniak & Martin Stannard, 2004