Kerri Shying R # 24.1 The Home Songs 5. Running Home, Running home.

The Home songs

5. Running home, running home

Poppy used to put both feet inside the laundry basket – sheath his body in the coats hung on the doors for extra warmth at night – hide from the MP’s  - yes here they came again for his absconding arse – small kids answer – too easily – he’s there, she said – he went to war- military prison the whole time – nobody says good on him – wouldn’t shed blood for those English mongrels – they say coward lazy man – Nanna went to visit – he ran every chance he got – always he ran home where they traipsed sighing off to fetch.

He called his medal-wearing counterpart digger – adults flinching in the car on the way home – it would be why I remember but I never saw a motion of it between the men themselves – too small maybe – too small. We still loved the fucking coward and the busted and the broken we loved them couldn’t leave them – couldn’t pass beyond that wall – never looking back or down on memory’s habits styles and foods – nothing just ground zero and a blackbird’s eye for gathering the new.