It's Still Life

It’s a Very Short Duration

I’m like a tiller.
I’ve learnt to live with stones,
keep a course of steps to climb,
my personally chiselled architecture,
the pain makes me feel alive,
and I dig my boots in
for the duration.
I chat with the neighbours,
“How are you?” I say —
good manners are as handy
as a doorknob to grab,
but I live in times
as uncertain as weather.
What mayfly holds itself
above my quicksilver life?
I reach out for forgotten names,
I mangle words, and shout
at the evening news like
a Tourette’s tick
and then,
I fall as silent as thoughts
lost in a mayfly’s day;
my duration’s a very short sting.

This is an attempt at Miz Quickly’s 20 Questions prompt, and I failed spectacularly at it, which I reckon is a positive thing. If you’re going to fail, don’t fail miserably; fail with flair and panache and exuberance, and be quick about it. Like a mayfly. This took me three days, which ain’t quick by my standards. Anyway … Miz Quickly’s prompt is at “Imprompt” – and I challenge you to pop over there and give it a try.