PICK AN INSTITUTION
Stephen Partington

Hold it up against the light.
Does it obstruct, or do the rays glow
through its crystalline transparency?

Experiment: like children’s
cars or horses in a shopping centre,
will it only function
if you feed it full of coin?

And is it light, or is it heavy?
Does it weigh like slave-ship fetters?

Does it cross the street like Pharisees?

Are all its windows mirror-glass?

From the first step to the last,
is it prepared to hold your hand
or draw a pirate map, a guide to
dodging rocks and angry dragons
and - should waves push you
to shipwreck on its shores -
will it toss lifebelts to the rescue?

Will it fuck.

About the author
Steve Partington is a poet. Published works include SMS and Face to Face.....

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