'Somewhere Else 06/10/09 Poem by Margaret Alice

Tiaan and I, we are the clowns
in the family, we change saying
good-night into a ceremony, re-
peating good-night over and over
in various tones until someone
shouts at us to stop

Tiaan offers me pills in sepulchral
tones when I sing songs without
knowing the words, we make stupid
rhymes and take our cues from words
like Paternoster Lambertsbaai, he
knows a verse about Joe a friendly ou

Nici shouts at us, she is the rational one
working out routes when we feel lost re-
membering landscapes and buildings,
Tiaan stares at the clouds, never knows
anything about direction, hubby needs
arrows to direct him while

I am never quite sure whether I am in
my skin or somewhere else…