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Look at these black worms
creeping over this paper.
They slide out from my biro
like stools of asbestos -
eager to weave a garment for me
to wear through the furnace.

I'm trying to understand this, Geoffrey. I've checked two dictionaries for "biro" and neither have it. Now, I'm wondering if it's a typo and you're trying to write a biography. For a moment, I returned to the line to see if its being a type of bird would fit, but when I got there, I saw that it doesn't.

If I didn't know better, I'd think this was an hallucinatory piece. The furnace reference seems Biblical, but a woven garment of asbestos still eludes me.

In a literal way, I can imagine black worms crawling over paper; but, then I'm forced to wonder why you remained there.

Any assistance you can give will be much appreciated.

Thanks.


~ Lizzy

A biro is a ball point pen.

Knowing this you can picture the black inky worms coming out of it

Ahhhhh... thank you, Margaret . What a difference a word makes. Sometimes, as much as a day [in fact, one spent trying to figure out a poem ]. Is that a slang term or a brand that's come to represent the item itself... like Kleenex or Xerox or a Bic?

Now "eager to weave a garment for me" makes sense, too. Of course, I knew a garment of asbestos could help protect in that furnace/fire. I was just baffled as to how biro worms could accomplish that weaving task. Now, everything falls right into place... as words and writing can go far in doing all of that.

Thank you so much, Margaret . You saved the day.


~ Lizzy


Oh. P.S. Geoffrey... I like your brief ditty, which now seems quite meaningful.

Thank you, Margaret and Lizzy - for rescuing me. Your kind messages are little sandbags against the threatening flood of silence.

G

Dear Geoffrey ~

Thank you, Margaret and Lizzy - for rescuing me. Your kind messages are little sandbags against the threatening flood of silence.

G

I'm praying this isn't as cryptic as it sounds. I know that all is well here. Would you mind clarifying here or elsewhere?


Love,
Lizzy