Funeral

Cuddled up inside your made-up paradise

you lost your way on purpose

so that you can be oblivious 

to all the things that happen

while you are asleep.

Until the seagulls interrupted your coma

dragging you down to the beach

to show you all the things that happened

while you were asleep.

You ran to the water

jumping on the scorching sand

pushing aside floating carcasses and driftwood

so that you can see your reflection

so that you can check if you still look the same

as while you were asleep

And then you saw it

A living corpse

still half-asleep

waking up to Mexican trumpets

serenading from below the surface

getting closer and closer

getting louder than the waves

louder than your sleep

George is an author, researcher, podcaster, chemist, molecular biologist and food scientist. You can follow him on Twitter @99blackbaloons , listen to his Spotify podcast George reads George, join his mailing list, or enjoy his books