"the dream of original sin" by Aqeel Parvez

before we invented sin did we sing sermons? 

where do we draw the line; bloodshed or bloodletting? 

why does the word balustrade come from 

the Italian word balaustra like 

blossoming pomegranate flowers?

the fountains of youth spill over, 

coins gasp into the Piazza De Ferrari

my vending machine coffee is disarmed 

you eat pizza on the church steps 

nibbling with future dentures

we indentured ourselves to each

other in that most porcelain of youth

but I was never satisfied with pomegranates 

we slither in the conditional, reach for sweetness 

but we are skint for love and dry for money

who dreamt of original sin, how could god 

conjure such failure of ambition?

ask yourself does euphoria lie in ephemera?

all these years later, divorced from the natural

we purchase flesh, haggle for limbs

you told me I misunderstood the meaning 

of words and I told you you were wrong

I told you I was a poet

you were more interested in gelato

________

Aqeel Parvez is a widely published poet and spoken word performer from Bradford, UK. He runs the publisher / podcast / events promoter - MALNOURISHED INTELLECT and co-hosts the podcast & poetry night - Poets Talking Bollocks w/ Keith Fenton. He is also the author of numerous chapbooks. His new book CARTOON SUICIDES is out now.

Aqeel Parvez is @aqeelparvez and @ap.writer