Elene





by Rosa Chalfen





hands

hands make you think of skin don’t they

film of skin, all cracked opaque ringed with lines like old tree stumps

how many lines mean how many years how many breaths

make you think like babies’ hands spools of fat and old people’s hands brown spotted lily livered and

mother hands in dough all thick and floury

and hands make you think of skin touching fingers hands brushing stroking other people hands on yours other peoples hands on your

skin hands make you think of

that

don’t they


~


but my hands are not made for that no

my hands are all dirt crusted digging in the earth

calvary

(his hands are crusted in blood, all pierced through with

nails)

nails

mine

dirt under them dirt getting in the whats that called again

the seam of the finger where the bad things get in

like on clothes where the needle flashes up and up

whiteness between nail and flesh

and

nail

hm

digging digging me, I am, like a dog

like a bitch with a bone

don’t fucking touch me don’t say my name

i am

busy

digging myself a bit deeper

nails fingers catching on something hard hm

hm?

hm but no just trash of the earth just

pillars of salt

(don’t fucking touch me i am a

i am a cursed thing

i will change i promise i will turn

to salt to dust to ashes if you fucking

if you even dare

touch me

if you even dare-


~


hm breathe

out of air for a second there

haha

nails went in too hard drew

blood for a second there

oh

well

blood is just iron really isn’t it

just goes back into the earth really

doesn’t it

all elements all minerals or something yeah

haha

oh well show goes on search goes on

turn over rocks like looking for woodlouse

looking for light in the darkness

yeah

(darkness coming in soon must get back soon

yeah

mother

will be worried

won't she

mother will be a

awailing

mother i must

mother i

mother i have

sinned


~


must prepare for mother must wash mud off hands blood off hands must wash my hands of you must

oh

must talk in full sentences again not again talk in full sentences !! add your C your capital letters full stops punctuation. take out the gaps red marker red crosses for not stopping for not putting in stops. stop. my darling wife i am coming home to you stop. i would like it if you stopped please stop. stop

compus mentus mentus corporus quis et dei god who is god who is my mother

(stop)