A Letter to Whoever's in Charge by Joe Dresner

A Letter to Whoever's in Charge

The women disappeared and the music

began. Today once again nothing would be decided

and not much else needed doing, for the time being at least.

On the other side of the world things were different, though.

Love, when it came, was like

a park at night, strange

and lovely, giving the answer

to nothing but meaning to almost everything.

Large raindrops were already falling.

Rails pieced the forest and the monkeys cowered, safe

for now, poring over their fruit like clerks at their ledgers,

careful and indifferent but cautiously

optimistic, until at last

day breaks.

Joe Dresner was born and grew up in Sunderland, England. He has been published in Poetry Review, The Rialto and Ambit. He has been anthologized in Salt Best British Poetry and SSYK 5 and also shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. He works as a highschool English teacher in China.