Safe alternatives | Anthony J. Langford

Pockmarked beauty
The right smile
Answers unbecoming
To standard inquiries.

A solution available
Not necessarily a good one
Merely present
As the piano man plays
The popular tune
And the lies dance
In sturdy frames.

Poor narratives
Are constantly on offer
Many provide secure outcomes.

There may be dire conclusions in store
For those prepared to toy with risk
But at least they offer a little genuine adventure
Along the way.

Anthony J. Langford lives in Sydney, writes novels, stories, poetry and creates video poems. He is a 2014 Pushcart Prize Nominee. Some of his recent publications include Vayavya, Subtopian, Perihelion and The Blue Magazine. He works in television and has made short films, some screening internationally. A novella, Bottomless River (2012) and a poetry collection, Caged without Walls (2013) are out through Ginninderra Press.