Inventing Derivatives
by and published in Edition Eight of Pomegranate
i am afraid of snow
Zelda before
i met you i didn’t
see so much you see
so much i didn’t
and still don’t
Zelda – before i was
now am i – afraid of snow?
i am a child
at a window before
you Zelda
the faintest reflection – Of the faintest semite
Of a lamp
Of importance and importance – i fathered – or didn’t – insignificance. am i child?
how amused i find
myself the broken word
or myself
in Africa the brute – the white man the – witchcraft… writhing in dust…
whisper – the black man – oh, Zelda i’m refusing
the profound the fierce
amused how i find myself
awake or awakened
in a field of terraces
and streetlamps
half-covered head to foot
in the silencing buzz
of falling snow
but the joy Zelda – in headlights and faces – at a damp refusing
to dampen fields and terraces
i am awake and silenced
ours is a generation
supposed to be so
upset – there is no style – i am heavy bored
of time and this city
i have no inner
resources – i can
barely scream – Zelda
is ours a generation?
am i jealous of snow
and other
things that make /
that move? – Zelda scream – and i’ll be damp and heavy
cracking – disappearing – Zelda scream – and i’ll be
we can only hope – Zelda scream – it is snowing outside
and other things move
Alex Broe
Alex Broe is 22 and he pretends to be sinatra, adrian henri and dylan and grew up in Zimbabwe.