float - new poem

An early draft of a new poem, the sixth in a series of pieces for my MA final semester dissertation equivalent.

float

wasps first a bee the next day somewhere else. movement on the surface of the water is a wasp close-to just keeping moving with still-dry wings. skates to canal edge crawls up gradually firmer grasses to dry out. there are others. one circles one wing wet. others twitching or just floating only one more gets out. the bee is on its side fast directionless wet. microphone pulls sound close precisely clear. that's one shock another taking off headphones listening differently. citywide cycle event. audio equipment delivered next week. spaniel keeps leaping in the canal however much the owners try to stop it. notices modified following legal challenges. gravel cleaned by drip action of rain from bridge above. aux. monitor. gain. not from concentrate. momentarily diesel engine police siren birdsong shouts are music. occasional dead fish floating on the surface one side of the belly uppermost head and tail lower. less frequent than condoms plastic pint glasses leaves bottles feathers. mailing packages to u.s. and australia. moth pinned by the wings to water on the glass shower screen. scaled up it would be like having a parasite the size of a small dog. sat on a dead tree in the waterpark sudden noises and movements behind. small birds shake the tree hopping in branches. later in the week sit in grass with headphones listening to wind in leaves and birds. rang five times and don't propose to try any more. notebook a series of phone messages. gouges in the tarmac where cars scrape coming off the road hump. crouched on a low wall over a muddy path recording a bee flying from flower to flower on the steep slope. without a directional mic the buzz almost lost in other sounds when it's checked back later.