A Poem By Denise Riley
Signifs
Writing the one word ‘red’ on an empty page will make it start to bleed
and ooze with scarlet if left unattended.
Inserting the single word ‘grey’ in a blank document fogs up the entire screen.
Just an isolated ‘blue’ persuades the bare file to look tranquil and composed.
To write the word ‘she’ does less than you might think. Or it does more.
To write the word ‘she’ does more than you might want. Or does less.
What about ‘he’? Well, what about he.
Typing the solitary word ‘indifferent’ doesn’t do much one way or another.
‘You can never get it right, can you.’
Not as long as you think in two. And you are in twos, poor colourless sexes.
