Mike Taboo

Once upon a time, in a rural market town
A boy with richest blackest skin
Joined my school.
His name was Mike Tabu,
To us he was a foreign beast who grew,
Bigger than anyone else, he lumbered through
Year 11s, bigger boys all
trembled against his shoulders
Despite being 3 years older
Than this dark monstrous soldier
This evil treacle gargoyle
Who cracked our fairytale; black as charcoal
With sasquatch hooves that thumped our tarmac.

Taboo, Taboo, Taboo

Back then we'd been drifting as a school of white knights
And dreamy damsels.
But he. He was something else.
Taboo became a chant, a spell
To summon on your enemies
Something to fear when you were alone
And within weeks he grew in the dark,
Nurtured by our words
Lurked in detentions,
Belched fire in the toilet block.
The tennis courts slowly became his lagoon.

Years later, on break from Uni
I took a job as a manager in a pizza parlour.
When they led me through to the office,
past an ochre smeared, dimly lit kitchen
I stopped,

My way blocked
By Taboo.

His white eyes looked me over.
His pink tongue flicked.
Slowly, he asked whether I knew
Who he was.
Mouth dry, I don't know why
But I said
‘No. I don't. Sorry.’

It may have been a lie,
But the air left his body like an old witch’s curse,
Tabu smiled. grew dimples,
Offered his warm, dark palm
And said
‘Nice to meet you, My name’s Mike.’
I smiled back as we shook
But shuddered at myself
And the newly discovered scales that had broken out
Thick and cold and pale across my hands.