Dressed Lamb
written by: Ricky Hawthorne
@searsjames
Another Friday afternoon as
I slipped into that breach
Between hedgerows, the tyres
Nestling into familiar furrows
Delicately I pushed the vehicle’s nose
Against the rusted metal –
The welcome nuzzle of a short abrasive kiss
Winding the window down
The country air seeped into the car
And sat in my mouth
Like mint under the tongue
But today, exhaust fumes would smell as sweet
I tuned the radio, randomly searching
For something gentle, melodious
To deaden the boom of a pulsing fist
Against the grain of old mahogany
Thumping repetitively, bleeding my imagination
No music; just another list
Delivered in methodical tones
Like a makeshift recipe
From a concerned chef
And another limited company
I would never argue with
An unexpected crunch interrupted the roll call
And a woolly face appeared
Framed in the trammel lines
Of that grinning gate;
Unconcerned, despite her isolation
From the flock, regimented in another corner of the field
I envied her innate ignorance
And told her so, but she turned away, distracted
By a pathetic bleat that filtered through
The miasma of the heavy summer evening
Fretting, it pattered into view, snuggling close
A gash of red dye splashed against its side
Like a crushed rose in a tar pool.
No more names now
Behind them, on a forest of nails
The haggard sun, like Obesity overdressed,
Hangs, interminably punctured
And a silver blade
Shimmers across the scarlet sunset
Dissecting the horizon
Another lamb dinner
Graduate of Warwick University
Triple honors in Literature, Theater and Film
- Dressed Lamb - March 4, 2025
- Detonation - September 14, 2023
- Con—Text - April 19, 2023
