Peacock
by Maureen Passmore

1. The feet went first
2. nails growing, hardening
3. thicks screws
4. sharpclacking the floor

1. the eyes shriveled beadily
2. (black marbles shooting
3. from scissored fish)

1. mouthnose
2. squeezed together
3. metal mollusk
4. snail-tongued, all shrieks all

1. shit, talking is screaming now

1. but the neck flooded
2. an ocean of blue
3. vein blood blue
4. carpeted breastbelly

1. this throat doesn’t sing

1. bustle of parrotpainted bruises
2. sprayed into fantail
3. hundreds of black goldfish

1. each fisheye
2. hooked choking
3. to speak

1. snakekiller
2. puffing highstepping
3. armless

1. footforked scales
2. venom opals the tail
3. tiny mirrors

1. every skin moulted
2. no warning
3. no flood no quake no

1. solar bat

1. nothing to say

1. the last beauty
2. pours like water
3. down the back

1. this isn’t vanity just
2. thirty eyes of god
3. watching lidless.