When the Dogs Bite: 26th March 2024

sunshine

raising my mental health

from a three to a four

the scent of sandalwood

as I walk past the Chinese

on a rain-wet morning

raises my spirits momentarily;

an antidote for the depression

of washing machine death

and not having the money to replace it.

I am seventeen

in my room at my father's house

listening to seventies rock on the turntable

and reading pulp science-fiction.

But only momentarily; the present intrudes

with the crystal clarity offered only to those

for whom life is struggle.

When the Dogs Bite