they chart choreography
and mechanism of moves
then thunder down doors
at the dark side of dawn
with barking mouths and feet

it’s in their dna
to remove fibres of yours
distilling essence for clues
from every nook and cranny

scour your sink for germs
from scrubbed hard drives
of mind    words and images
lurking deep behind eyes

strip search sheets for signs
of wrong dreams   examine
soiled linen of thought   take
some away for questioning

First published by The Red Ceilings, June 2017