qarrtsiluni

last night I dreamt
oceans of straw covered the world

men burrowing
with their noses and sifting
with their teeth
in hopes of finding the last matchstick

to taste we need to breathe
we need skin

there are weathermen
in the basement of basements
playing truth or dare

above them the straw
forever dry and delicate

as their teeth glow with thirst
they have swollen faces and they won’t give up

they won’t stop
pointing at the ceiling and saying
the chance of rain is better than ever

by Jeffrey Skemp

Reading and toy piano by the author, with banjo accompaniment by John Colburn
Download the MP3

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