Back

The tea rests in the Styrofoam
Quietly brewing
Flavour into liquid
Liquid into taste
The air around the cup
Flaps the napkin
Like a white sheet
Like the white sheets
In the last place
On the bed
Which wasn't quite mine
My bed is dismantled
The red wrapped in black plastic bags
The steel frame
The good silver
Lined up
Ready to be stowed
Kept away from me
I trip over my shoes
I trip over my shoes
So tired
As this bed absorbs me
Devours me
Steals me
A light in the eye
Every hour
All hours
But I do not cry
Not now
Tears make the key slip
And if I cannot hold the key
I cannot get out
Alice whispers in my ear
Don't drink it
Don't eat it
She has hitched her blue dress up
Ready to run
Ready to scuff her little black shoes
I listen to her
So hard
When this bed changes into the next bed
And the next bed changes to a different poison soaking into my skin
We must be ready to run
We must
We must
Ah, but Alice has taught me
To run
Is to sit quietly and sip the tea
To keep in hand the nuts and bolts
Ready to re-build
That which is stolen
That which is lost
I smile
I am glad that Alice is back
When she is with me
The solution is right
A fresh cup of tea
Seasoned with dandelion dust
Blown on the breeze.