A new poem by Jonny Reid

OUTSTANDING

The word turns horribly
from brilliance to a dead weight.

You are OUTSTANDING.
Your bill is OUTSTANDING.

I’d rather sit outside
and play with the neighbour’s cat

than be caught indoors with this pressure.

I want to be able to spin this word

              O U T S T A N D I N G

till it blurs like a coin on the table
becoming round in dimension,
like a ghostly dome of flickering steel

that has nothing to do with its meaning.