Tarmac by Gareth Writer-Davies

like a dinosaur

chomping

the miller
roars and gouges with iron fangs

decayed tarmac
spewing

arc-ing
residue into the belly of the dumpster

the paver waits to smear sticky black
spitting tar-flames from a bucket

the crew
(thousands of miles in their pockets)

ready with rakes
compactors and nameless tools

as the hot bitumen
slinks gaps

remaining through dusk and dawn
until the job is done

tonight
I sleep to terrifying thuds and the rattle of plates

the house
pitched with the smeltaste of dinosaurs

---

Gareth Writer-Davies is from Brecon, Wales. He achievements include: being shortlisted for the Bridport Prize (2014 and 2017); being commended in the Prole Laureate Competition (2015) and Prole Laureate for 2017; being commended in the Welsh Poetry Competition (2015) and Highly Commended in 2017. His publications are: Bodies (2015) and Cry Baby (2017), both published by Indigo Dreams; The Lover's Pinch (2018) and The End (2019) both published by Arenig Press. He was also a Hawthornden Fellow (2019).

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