(Listen to the poem here)
There’s dozing in the market in Cholula
in the afternoon.
Apart from that, some dogs.
Dog one is trying hard
to be a crocodile:
in pancake pose
under the portico
it floats its snout
upon the tiles.
Dog two is sleeping
in the middle of the road.
Dog three is mangy and,
upon the steps of something
called the Academy
of Canine Styling,
it’s busy adding up
its fleas. It keeps on
losing count and has to
start again.
Old buses and guitars go through Cholula
as the sun goes down.
Dog three barks briefly at arithmetic.
Dog one is waiting hard for something
to come floating
down its lazy river.
Dog two wakes up,
gets up,
looks up
into the sky
and then ten thousand
fists of rain slam down at once.
The puddles sit in silence in Cholula
as the night goes on.
Dog two gravely compares
their bouquet and their taste.
Dog three dreams fitfully of algebra.
Dog one unflattens slightly
as it cocks its ear.
Perhaps tonight something is just about to happen
in Cholula…
…perhaps…
…tomorrow then.
Dog one is trying hard to be a crocodile.
Phillip Hill 2008
(This poem is included in my book The Observation Car which is available from
- Amazon.com (paperback)
- Amazon.co.uk (paperback)
- Barnes&Noble (e-book)
- Lulu (paperback or e-book)
Sideways Station 