prose poem

unicorns in hyde park

by emilie lauren jones

First, they closed the theatres—actors folded their Vogue-coloured satins into cardboard cases with Amazon smiles, packed away mirrors and light bulbs. It was as if all the world became a stage. The newsreader said that everyone would have a part to play now.

Next, they closed the airports—the Stock Exchange Tower gathered rust in the corners of its windows, while Regent’s Park became a patchwork quilt of picnic blankets. It was as if Australia was on the other side of the world again. The newsreader said that cruise ships were now hospitals.

Next, they closed the schools—children forgot how to count to a billion, forgot the name of triangles with 130° angles. It was as if they’d always known that a honeybee’s wings beat 190 times per second. The newsreader said that dolphins were spotted leaping in Venice canals and unicorns were striding through Hyde Park.

Next, they closed the churches and the prisons—society’s sinners left groceries on the doorsteps of the breathless, Imams and pastors sang together from adjacent balconies. It was as if their lips had always known each other’s songs. The newsreader said not to mention falling crime rates because it wouldn’t interest anyone.

Next, they closed the television studios—tribes of families took to the outdoors, their bonfires lit up Earth like a festival of iPhone flashlights while newly uprooted potatoes boiled to an orchestra of chirping crickets and cockroaches. It was as if the insects celebrated a homecoming. The newsreader said something, but no one could hear.

Previously published in HCE Magazine and I am not a silent poet, Emilie Lauren Jones is due to be published in upcoming anthologies with Half Moon Books, Beautiful Dragons Collaborations, and One World Publications. Commissioned by UK City of Culture project Humans of Cov, she is Poet in Residence for Hillz FM and is part of the current Nine Arches Press Dynamo Scheme. Emilie completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham. Find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @emilielaurenxx and visit her website: www.emilielaurenjones.co.uk.

Emilie donated to MIND (UK).