Xanadu


after the film directed by Robert Greenwald, 1980

for the attractive people
there is a wall to skate through
it was a joke until somebody told it
most of the town murals are dripping red –
there is no talking sense to the ugly
some try the Biblical Diet to get into shape
or wear the breastplate of Saint Patrick
some couples get married before they roll
it is probably best if you are intoxicated
makes no difference if you like the movie
there are new spurts of red every day
you won’t get through if you wear a helmet
it is a watermelon explosion if you fail
a place where so many of us dare to go
might be the mural on the toilet block
the love and the love and the echoes of
where neon tubes blink ultra violet
egged on by a fever that can’t be denied
it is too late to unlock the secrets of fat
the runway is lit and the bystanders waiting
what commentators say about your face

Nathan Curnow

Nathan Curnow lives in Ballarat and is a past editor of Going Down Swinging. His latest poetry collection is RADAR.

More by Nathan Curnow ›

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places.

If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate.


Related articles & Essays