In the absence of chaos

Graham Dukas


It’s been a while since cups

have done anything

but remain upright in their saucers

and even longer

since the ceiling sagged ominously

with the weight of water,

signalling a ruptured pipe.

I cannot remember

when last a table unexpectedly

lost a leg or how long ago

a passing delivery truck,

laden with an assortment

of fruit or scrap metal,

crashed through my living room wall.

Indeed, much of yesterday’s sway

is repeated in the gentle sway of today –

the cat is curled up

like an old Russian hat left lying on the bed,

the view from my window

has tilted neither sharply to the left

nor to the right, and the wall clock

that has watched over our family for years

remains firmly fixed

at ten minutes past seven.

From: McGregor Poetry Anthology 2013

Published by African Sun Press in association with the McGregor Poetry Festival

ISBN number 978-0-620-62302-5


The Poet:

Graham Dukas lives and works in Cape Town. He divides his time between business management and strategy consulting, executive coaching and as a part-time teaching assistant at UCT’s School of Architecture. He started writing at a young age but lost his way as the demands of parenting and earning a living took over as priorities. In recent years he has returned to the pen, inspired by the simple experiences of this peculiar thing called life.