London, 1997

when we came over

we had silver pans to sound the

river and we

sent our big short-haired black

dogs ahead of us to

smell the brambles and

forage for the animals that came before us

 

now we’ve changed our hair

grown it wild and

gold and we’ve

become musical

and dark, a little

malevolent and sudden

worn our socks thin

 

made holes

and made it through Christmas

and everything’s been new

so far

M. S., 1997