in the car park
a wednesday night
McDonald’s
the cassette clicks
nostalgia and dust

a riot?
it already happened
we’re a photocopy
of the echo
the first spangle

situationists
arguing over
how to split the bill
the shadow of
a broken glitter ball

half a syllable
of dissent
played backwards
the pub singer sings
Ave Maria

pop history
chewed up and spat out
pigeon footprints
teenagers gathering
outside the civic centre

found
in the long grass
behind the bingo hall
the words of William Reich
printed on cans of Red Bull

delirium is
just a tenner down
a bus ride
to the wrong suburb
stay unstable stay local

this isn’t a séance
this is what’s left
after glam rock
ate itself out
a licked clean plate

and the ruins?
we built a garden

Paul Conneally
Ilkeston Contemporary Arts
July 4th 2025