9. to the landlords of collingwood, & to the poets who pay the rent
to the landlords of collingwood, & to the poets who pay the rent, i want to voice my objection, to an abnormal situation, i could hardly believe myself handing over $720.00 at the counter of the real estate agent, just 4 weeks since the last time, & for my poetry i only received a cheque for $80.00 in 3 months, i did not put the $80.00 towards the rent, there was no point, instead i went & bought a red dress, my only one, & i wore it all summer, i wore it out dancing & to the pub to a poetry reading, i wore it up the park with my dogs with bare feet & i wore it as i handed over the rent, realising that the receptionist, the real estate agent, the landlord & even other customers who queued at the counter, could be accepting this as normal, now the red dress & the art of writing poetry are very normal things, things that are associated with my well-being, the small red dress has given me much happiness, & is very worn out from myself & others running their hands over its unusual fabric, it has been happily worn out by comments & grins, either from myself looking down or across at it into a mirror, or from others smiling at me smiling in it, my dogs are also part of a very normal situation when they sail between the borders of grass & sky, the wind lifting their tails like strong rudders, the dog inspector unfortunately is not part of a normal situation, neither is the fact that the society tries to crush its poets by not paying them, neither are the sad & greedy landlords of collingwood, & the unreal estate agents who work for them |
