Managing Death Sentences

Written by: Owen Drahkele

The stupefied urbanites return
To their homes and havens
Only pariahs were desperate enough
To escape the stasis and comfort
The modern day death sentence

We had dinner at a restaurant
That had been deserted
Except for all the middle aged men
And their Chinese friends
The food was hot; the conversation was not
It was mustard and lamb
The modern day death sentence

She was yellow against a blue wall
Or the other way around
Colour and landscapes like France
In the grip of melancholy
The modern day death sentence