Two Poems

Notes from the Arboretum

I would like to use the arboretum as a symbol,
but of what?

If only I could sustain the energy of my
imagination during religious and bank holidays.

I am afraid of happiness!

How can a bird native to China survive here?

I would like to be able to say that I am unhappy
because of circumstances beyond my control,
but this is not the case.

I look into the eyes of the Saker Falcon and ask:
what did you see in Iraq?

The Saker Falcon gives me nothing. Everyone
wants a bit of him.

I go back to the awful arboretum several times.

This is despite the fact that the entrance fee is so
grossly excessive it prevents me from enjoying
the experience in any way.

Each time I return, I go straight to my scornful
...