The Shadows in the Wings / Dave Cullern

I play the hanging man,

tiptoeing along sharp edges

with someone else’s deceit

in my eyes,

my neck bulging into the noose

as blood rushes uptown

with the excitement

of the chase

I take on the role

I am dealt by monogrammed chairs;

emote when I'm told

but find little life in the words

or their idea

of how my overflowing canvas

should adhere

to the sets of rules

laid out

in the historical plays of men

I am dressed in the rags

my whispering gender dictates,

stolen from the cupboards

of the binary management

with their normalised rules,

my movements limited

by the prison

of poorly chosen motivations,

my tail between my legs

whilst my death

is planned

in the papers

set before me,

written by someone else’s hand

---

Dave Cullern is a poet based in Hastings, UK. He is a doting cat mother, the vocalist of the band Haest and runs the coffee company, Sham City Roasters. His debut poetry collection, 'Fuck Ballads #1 Modern Extremes' is available now from www.fuckballads.bigcartel.com. Contact: @fuckballads