Unflinching

a poem about ignorance

“Shine the light on”
On it flicks
It lights the fridge
Brimming with food
Soft, fatty cheeses
Foil bags of roast duck and chicken
Fizzy cordials,
And tins of olives and capers

Thin strips of meat,
Light brown,
Slither down the oesophagus,
Lubricated by a film of alcohol,
Clear and sharp, but congealing.

Dim light casts over the table,
The people swirl,
Red dresses stained by the culinary excesses.
Cigarette smoke firls upward,
Lingering on the mosquitoes,
Hanging voyeuristically around the light bulb

Ever while we are on our cliffed island,
Inching towards the fall,
Clasping the kryptonite with a gloved hand,
But losing traction –
Slipping

In cars driving into walls
We grip the steering wheel,
Unflinching