Tuesday Poem - This Is Not a Dream by Matt Hetherington

This Is Not a Dream

i’m on my knees again

next to the pipe

that runs from the bathroom sink to somewhere outside

the floor is white and clean

except for one small pile of my young daughter’s excrement

it’s no big deal

i have cleaned like this before

but there’s actually more than i thought

my knee gets some crap on it

and then the elbow of the hand holding the cleaning-cloth

then the other hand

and i try to wipe off a bit that’s got on my cheek

but i can taste some of it on my lips

and of course i swallow a little

and then it’s in my mouth and on my teeth

and my tongue is tasting shit

and i wake up spitting out nothing

I had the honour and delight to launch Matt Hetherington's new book Eye to Eye last week in darkest Thornbury at Tago Mago. The book is now available at Collected Works in Melbourne, and also, of course, from the author. 

(Matt is on Facebook so he is easy to find.) 

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