Better

(after Leonard Cohen)

Better than the chaotic hunger

Of Brighton gulls

The ordered beachcombing pigeons

Of Villefranche-sur-mer

Better than noon sunshine

The early-morning light

And the buildings’ palette of whites,

Ochres, yellows and orange

Better than the bass tones

and wind-snatched muzak

the stereo-panned swish and swash

of the Mediterranean

Better than neatness

The secret order

Of organic growth

Better than a reality check

A fantasy boost