Red Cow Nocturne
The moon, half-cut like a pineapple slice
and sugared with stars, weighs in with just
the right angle, at just the right time;
gunmetal clouds drop payloads of mist
and drizzle over the car park, wheezing wind
coughs up a crumpled chip bag for autumn.
You can stay where you are, the exit sign
glistening above you, purr of traffic
and whipped splash of a puddle overturned
by a tyre’s swipe; as the cold bites down
harder, its swirling teeth leave you burned.
To leave this place, first, you’ll have to kick.
Daniel Wade is a writer from Dublin, Ireland. In 2017, his play The Collector opened the 20th anniversary season of the New Theatre. His spoken-word album Embers and Earth, available for download, launched in 2016 at the National Concert Hall.
A prolific performer, Daniel has featured at many festivals, including Electric Picnic, Body and Soul, and the 2019 International Literature Festival (ILFD). In 2020, his radio drama Crossing the Red Line was broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra and won a silver award at the New York Festivals Radio Awards for Best Digital Drama.
Daniel also authored the e-chapbook Iceberg Relief (Underground Voices) and was the Hennessy New Irish Writing winner for April 2015. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in over two dozen publications since 2012.
DODGING THE RAIN 