The rumble of a plane
above the morning clouds
shimmers through the double glazing

Filling the colours of the day
between its paint-by-numbers lines

Broadcasting the news, which
you'll be surprised to hear
is whispered on the morning breeze

you might not be so surprised to hear
this Eid
that incitement for some is more illegal than others

in the crackle shine morning
which explains the curvature of the earth

whose distance from our bed
is measured precisely to the second

- testing the water
beating the traffic -

from the moment
the alarm goes off.

16/12/01