Apologies on her behalf
︎︎︎ Philip Traylen
︎ Sept 6, 2025
It’s all entirely unbearable to me, hence
my love for it. I’m talking about you, of
course, about life, the life, a life, as if
the word preceding life on the page
might one day
adjust its meaning. Until then, however,
we continue to rut
in the marshes, to pawn
implausible species of would-be bird
to each other across the distance,
if we find one (a distance, I mean,
bird-ideas are everywhere). Wait, is it
the French who like comparing the breasts
to two birds seeking shelter from the
gays? She told me
to say that, I wanted to say
gaze, I swear
on my mother’s life (if
you want to adjust the meaning
of the word life place
the word mother before it
on the page).
my love for it. I’m talking about you, of
course, about life, the life, a life, as if
the word preceding life on the page
might one day
adjust its meaning. Until then, however,
we continue to rut
in the marshes, to pawn
implausible species of would-be bird
to each other across the distance,
if we find one (a distance, I mean,
bird-ideas are everywhere). Wait, is it
the French who like comparing the breasts
to two birds seeking shelter from the
gays? She told me
to say that, I wanted to say
gaze, I swear
on my mother’s life (if
you want to adjust the meaning
of the word life place
the word mother before it
on the page).
Philip Traylen is a writer from Wales. oldoldoldoldnew on Substack.