Issue 15: Drew Milne
from LICHENS FOR MARXISTS
VALUE COMB
with some hesitation this
value of the lichen combs
and why x does matters so
that we’ve had our fun is
now specific to the viols
billowing into endolithic
vocal hyphae thread-bared
to be into sunny openings
there’s the eyes in sound
made by something as soul
xanthoria to you or yours
spectacular latinity swab
swatch so long dying well
the scars a ripped breach
mats in to thinned futons
will you be ours in rifts
my drift as topper leaves
our crust evening into an
unlearning blank opposite
the lunar hulk or carcass
a some such so slow wound
in snow toes strung among
proofs to the presence of
the hung gruel done flame
in the morphology of calm
murk could be our jumpers
for in lithographic henge
the passages from realism
to ism subtend a scarcity
a bent car in leafy grits
mm with an inch of a life
of air rolls over to tuck
in now which lichens call
syntax ungrounded a choke
chain in no a need spokes
run to brittles just keep
sunny side up with quicks
to soft tain of this rock
this ribbon to soft crust
will to wilt done sulphur
LICHEN TIMES: GOLDEN TWENTIES
when the emblem books riddled
to give it low in unmitigated
black hole futurism erring of
showing a radio here blabbing
sound experiments in mediated
mum doom zaum schoom the dada
chalk oils scored subliminals
in solar microscopes upon the
screen of white paper bloomed
unsatisfactory representation
you cannot experience the sun
but focusing your unit spines
filaments now reduced to damp
squat done of mild amplitudes
moments of known lands wasted
by the ennui of the precision
obtaining data for damper say
tooth of complete dark spread
to a friction radiation diode
spared from further eyestrain
and poor unconvincing results
aiming at destabilization the
sponsor is the bouncing spoil
so much in probability arrays
so disturbing we run to sleep
sheep over sheen over screens
a service industry revolution
spred thinner than doing does
the drift failure trial plays
dog-whistle racism then bling
is the buffed up brevity blur
evolving physical object bids
over the bridge to mild pains
where innovation is the noise
lie who will not stay in true
while the commentariat drives
into the sunset as a deadline
the ether slow up every rains
into the more palpable gating
glitch function rich chalkily
agog over results of eclipses
baying that no-one need worry
Drew Milne’s recent chapbooks include ‘equipollence’ (The Song Cave, 2012), ‘the view from Royston cave’ (Wide Range Chapbooks, 2012) and ‘Burnt Laconics Bloom’ (Oystercatcher, 2013). He wrote Reactor Red Shoes (Veer, 2013) with John Kinsella.
