I wake up far too early and cry,
then bury myself in a fantasy novel
with an anti-hero who reminds me
of the man who died a long time ago.
I come to the end of the tale over breakfast,
close the book and remember to be glad
about yesterday’s State election result …
trying to pretend to ingest slowly
that knowledge I swallowed whole, late last night
of another old friend, dear and dying.
