there’s a sample of the future

on the Sunday morning train

a platform of people

on the Bridge to Brisbane

and the smug stench of wellness

but what use is it to run

only to return
the grapefruit tang

of Saturday night

flayed on sidewalks

and the haven’t you already been here

once today
enjoy your latte among the regulars

where they serve

hipster fries and heaven in a jar

and the failed date from the night before

you’re trying to ignore

the poet who only wants to talk

about boxing

where every fight is the fight of the century

and the punter who says I didn’t know

poetry could be funny

and the man who is every man

shouting in the foyer

I am oppressed I am oppressed

and you wonder if this is just

another performance
what are you going to do

write yourself gently

into 2000 years’ time

where maybe one day someone will find these thoughts

archived in the museum of earthly frights

where you are a sequel

a 2.0 version of your self

and the people who once knew you will look back and say

nothing beats the original

but I like you better this way
*This poem appears in Rebecca’s forthcoming collection Ask Me About The Future with

University of Queensland Press in 2020