My palms in my pockets jingle
the keys to my cave as I make
my way to wherever I’m going.
My legs propel me, and my feet
dodge cast-off gum and dog dung.

And on my head rests a fishbowl.

An extra load on my skull,
but I don’t mind. I rather
like this bowl. It gives me
a barrier, and though thin,
the glass has yet to crack.

I hear my voice resound,
bouncing around the tiny
space, and I smell my breath,
minty fresh and foggy, and
through the fog the world and
its creatures are phantoms.

When I’m addressed, it’s like
floating in frigid freshwater
as they call for me from
the sheet of ice above.
They suspect I’ve lost
my soul in the fishbowl,
yet as year after year
goes by, I feel just fine.

I am an astronaut taking
a space walk, drifting around
and watching the universe
unfold under a sheet of glass.

And when I close my eyes,
I am in a womb, or a coffin,
and I often can’t tell the
difference, nor find much
of a reason to tell.


-
by Aleksander Mielnikow

monday: putting ***** plates aside
tuesday: ignoring the ***** plates
wednesday: being bothered by the ***** plates
thursday: intending to do the dishes
friday: forgetting to do the dishes
saturday late afternoon: meeting a woman in a pub who tells daddy that she has a dirt allergy
saturday evening: arduously scrapping off fatty chunks from the dishes, groaning about such a hard kind of labor and thinking about easier ways of cleaning ***** plates.

from saturday night until sunday morning: making love to the woman from the pub; putting ***** plates...

his light brown hair offered kindness
his wide eyes were a safe place

his mid summer tan gave warmth
and his smile created happiness

Please listen.
Everybody makes mistakes.
Please don’t make me one of them.
It’s just one of life’s bad breaks.
Replay what I have told you again,
And listen, please listen.
Look into what I have said,
Let it play inside your head.

Please listen.
Listen to what I am saying
Instead of what you’re thinking.
Make me the song you are playing.
Then, listen, please listen.
Not what you think you heard.
Do listen closely to my words.

It is so very important
That you hear the content
It’s from my innermost heart,
It's what I think and pray
From my soul at the very start
And it will never ever go away.

So, listen.
It’s easy to stay half aware
Of what others have to share
And not quite care to hear
What their heart is crying out
The hopes they hold dear
That you could care about.

It is so very important
That you hear the content
It’s from my innermost heart,
It's what I think and pray
From my soul at the very start
And it will never ever go away.