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May 2023 · 81
The Edge
Wands May 2023
On the edge
I'm nine again
standing
daringly atop the stairs bannister,
wearing my Holly-Hobbie flannelled gown.
Artex ceiling barnacles rough against my palms.
I can smell onions, coal, and doom.

On that edge
I imagine
falling,
flying like an angel.
Butterfly arms carrying me skyward
away, away from frozen failure,
just like Daddy will.

On this edge
I'm no longer nine,
I'm waiting,
longer than my nine-year-self would have.
Waiting for the crescendo
in my glass-heart to choose,
fall hard or rage harder.
Wands May 2023
When shall we three Snapchat again?
In hidden, closed, or public domain?
When the Slutshaming's done
When we've trashed Kardashian ***
Fair is troll, and trolls are fair
Hover through the net, we click, and share

Double, double, hashtag trouble
Forum feed and Facebook guzzle
***** about the latest ***-tape
In the chatroom stir up hate
Eye of catfish and bit of blog
**** of spammer and bandwidth hog
Bigot's breath, cyberstalker's cling
Hacker's mouse and tweeter's ping
For a charm of hater's trouble
We're gonna burst your online bubble
Wands May 2023
Red Red Wine
Can You Feel It?
The Way You Make Me Feel
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
Walk Like An Egyptian
All Night Long (All Night)

Red Red Wine
Here I go Again
Borderline
Free Fallin'
Footloose
Walking On Sunshine
Upside Down
It's Tricky

Red Red Wine
You Shook Me All Night Long
Never Too Much
Never Gonna Give You Up
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da

Red Red Wine
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Take on Me
I'm Still Standing
Against All Odds

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Red Red Wine – 3.01 (1983) UB40, Can You Feel It? – 3.59 (1980) Jackson Five, The Way You Make Me Feel – 4.26 (1987) Michael Jackson, You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – 3.19 (1985) Dead Or Alive, Walk Like An Egyptian – 3.21 (1986) The Bangles, All Night Long (All Night) – 4.16 (1983) Lionel Richie, Here I go Again – 3.53 (1982) Whitesnake, Borderline – 3.54 (1984) Madonna, Free Fallin' – 3.14 (1989) Tom Petty, Footloose – 3.46 (1984) Kenny Loggins, Walking On Sunshine – 4.00 (1983) Katrina & The Waves, Upside Down – 3.37 (1980) Diana Ross, It's Tricky – 3.22 (1986) Run DMC, You Shook Me All Night Long – 3.29 (1986) AC/DC, Never Too Much – 3.49 (1981) Luther Vandross, Never Gonna Give You Up – 3.32 (1987) Rick Astley, De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da – 4.09 (1980) The Police, Should I Stay or Should I Go – 3.06 (1982) The Clash, Take on Me -3.46 (1985) A-ha, I'm Still Standing – 3.03 (1983) Elton John, Against All Odds – 3.24 (1984) Phil Collins, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 3.51 (1984) Wham)
May 2023 · 74
The Instinct of Looking
Wands May 2023
Alone in a boatful of swaying drunks
‘five, four, three, two, one’
the fireworks crackled stale light.

‘You’re looking the wrong way,’
they laughed at my back.
‘You’re missing it.’

I spied two

shooting

stars.

Stars of
heavenly hope,
cascading calm,
reminding me of nature’s
wild and wonderful wit.

‘No, you’re looking the wrong way,’
I laughed at them back.
‘You’re missing it.’

Maybe the crowd doesn’t need following.
Feb 2022 · 257
The Call
Wands Feb 2022
Let us whisper words into wires
offer up our heart to amplifiers;
me due South, and you due North,
sound waves bouncing back and forth,
telegraph pole to telegraph pole
oscillating away our electron soul,
down grey-end streets, up ripe-green bowers
tip toe thrumming timber towers
delivering death, doom, disaster
love, lust and lifelorn laughter;
conjoined coils coupled ear to ear
by corroding sentinels that weep tar tears,
tranquillized by summer’s smiling skies
where dusk and dawn dip and rise;
pinch-paralyzed in frosted breath,
lightning bolts inflict electric death.
Jan 2021 · 285
Fall
Wands Jan 2021
I want to fall.
I may perform a nonchalant, artistic dip.
A dramatic trip,
where I wobble...
Will she?  Won’t she?
Or one where
I shiver and shimmy.
Gliding down like rolling mist.

Because I love how it feels
when you catch me.
Jan 2021 · 849
Capdepera Stranger - 1983
Wands Jan 2021
It’s early,
shutters yawn open
drawing in an already spirited sun.

I reluctantly roam
an unchartered narrow maze
of whitewashed walls.

Fingers squeeze
a mint mil Pesetas banknote
and list, written in my mother’s
stern and starchy hand.

I am the outsider,
inside and out.

I inhale
pine dust, bins and septic tanks,
I exhale
a huff of childhood hopelessness.

Shadows startle me
with machine gun Catalan.

I didn’t hear the rumble of the water truck.
Didn’t look right when I crossed the road.
Didn’t thank the stranger who saved me,

until now.

— The End —