©Matthew Daniels, 29 June 2011

Let me tell you about 14 stories
The first is the setting of the clock
Twisting of arms and knobs,
Or the digital stuff.
You know the kind – sticks and bones

Our second story is a dozen strong
Eggs and years and zeroes
It’s for promises,
But isn’t it funny?
We’re usually asleep

Third is first,
Because that’s how the game is played
Put your trust in diamonds and lasers
They do the work for you.
Now press. Now start.

Fourth is for the walls
You shouldn’t really be around
Numbness and vitamins
You know what they say about a watched kettle
It stares back

Five stories high, and someone somewhere
Sings of golden rings
Collectors and flies,
Both carrying things made of moonlight,
Things that buzz and be still

The sixth tale is important,
Because nobody is paying attention.
His income is getting pretty sparse
But the noise keeps him going
As he stands with dark doors and closed lights

From the seventh telling comes
Movement, angels and shampoo
It’s all in the wiring, getting people up
I mean. Thread copper the right way
And you can change the colour of the sun

Nobody talks about the eighth,
It’s all legends and breakfast.
Follow the vegetables, eat your rules,
Remember what you got up for
And the world is your oyster

By the ninth story people are
Remembering that oysters bring disease
But easy on the coffee,
Too much bitter, and worry about the black
The secret is in the adding of things

Ten tales and tall towers of tools
Keep your worries in a file,
Not found.
Tension to begin with, but that’s okay
We’re taught by taut ropes

When our narratives number eleven,
Woodwork and wine are busy
Behind the scenes, whispering with the
Cats. Creatures with shadows
And the eye, aye, I

Twelve stories land us in a circle
The first of the last firsts
Eating air and breathing candy,
This is when we talk about the labours
of our fruits.

13. The eleventh hour is long
And different from the others
Numbers keep getting faster,
But no matter how many degrees in
a circle, it’s still one turn.

So let me tell you about 14 stories
Witching hours and books piled
Under the TV.
The last of them is for lunch.
For meetings and moonrise and muddle.