A Note for Johnny Coral Hull
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“Kangaroo”

“she” “had not even tried” “to move” “her bony white
body” “into the clover” “that had come” “after rain” “it
was the old mother” “who had been hanging around”
“with the joey” “why do you think” “she came” “in so

close” “to the house” “to die” “was she lonely?” “as if a
kangaroo” “doesn’t get lonely” “like us” “apart” “or
together” “we” “two lonely people” “was it something”
“inside her” “that brought her to the gate” “of the small

cottage?” “picture” our small cottage” “our place of
loneliness” “of togetherness” “a dot” “out in the frosty
fields” “even we” “were cold” “cold as taps” “the water
iced up” “in the pipes” “the guttering” “stretching itself”

“a long and creaking stretch” “a cat’s old back”
“arching” “railways sleepers” “big highways” “this
relief” “from ice” “all the night” “when the ice was
endless” “dark” “like we had forgotten” “everything” “a

relief” “from clear winter skies” “stars” “so many stars”
“and not a kangaroo” “amongst them” “we were cold“
“as her dying” “as though the winter sky” “was shining”
“its icy stars” “down through the roof” “she” “didn’t

move” “far” “on her last night” “she didn’t need to” “a
greater movement was occurring” “within her” “the
birds” “took her eyes” “all the birds” “not long” “after
dawn” “with the sun” “came the scavengers” “the farm”

“does not waste” “it utilizes everything” “deliciously” “a
strip of flesh” “was dragged from her mouth” “she was
cold” “stone” “dead” “so soft” “this ancient departure”

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