Yesterday I
wanted to visit you
bring you consumable gifts
It’s Christmas in the chocolate aisle of the supermarket
They’re flogging all that crap again
to keep the desperate money-mill running
I needed a toothbrush
that’s why I was in there
But some of that chocolate’s really nice
and I thought of you:
your tongue
savouring
the sweet melt
I wanted to bring you
a smile
maybe touch you
maybe not:
only what you need
today
listen
talk
maybe not:
only what you need
today
I mean
whatever
we could just sit and stare at the
windows
together
just anything
together
would really be
okay
I got the toothbrush
for only a dollar
It’s just as good as the five-dollar ones
and probably made in the same
hellhole factory
in some
hellhole country
next to another
hellhole country
with people getting on boats
not planes
not even ships
boats
for Europe and Australia
and I guess they’re not thinking
of visiting friends
or supermarkets
I guess
they just don’t want to be raped and starved and shot at
any more
It’s that simple
for those
people
I think the violence
and starvation
and the melting
are happening
because someone told me
and continues to tell me
I need a five-dollar toothbrush
but
it was 3pm
on a Tuesday
so
(using my Visa debit card)
I bought eight iced buns and two large mangoes
to feed to my beautiful
beautiful
beautiful
children
and
in the evening
as Facebook showed me vanity publishing
virtual dating
and
other new skins
I deleted an email
from Amnesty
International
and left a comment
on your comment
on someone else’s wall