It was like watching industrious ants

remove the dead and dying

from a destructive battle with termites

on the day the council brought a skip round

for the street to use.

 

The recently cleaned curtains had been twitching

since the first rays of light burrowed underneath

with bristling mole nose and soft soulless feet on

creaking stair in blind anticipation

for the promised skip and the tremble

of making sure what could be gone

was gone.

 

The skip duly arrived and was saluted by curtains