Sick Autumn

Sick autumn when the leaves scattered are wet

And skitter in gutters. Pale autumn hiding

Cattarh coughs in traffic fumes, tragic colours,

Terminally ill. An old man stained with mucus

In a hospital bed, coughs like revved-up engines

Scars like scattered leaves, tears like autumn rain.

And it is the widow fainting, casting a veil

In the gutter, the driveway, the lonely sunslant.

Sad wilt of my heart that cast this dry leaf

Groundwards; an uprooted tree falls uselessly.

Autumnal rains make the silent boys heartsick,

Beside the plexi-glass window. Hairwet, eyes shrouded.

Big raindrops on my hairline. Frost at eight

In the morning. Even the sun at noon is sick,

Pale and wan. I should sleep all autumn,

And give birth to dreams. That's the only health.

Internal Combustion Engine. Splat of a Puddle.

And the Girls are Swearing. Downstairs the Door Slamming.