There’s a snap as you step on a twig
We’re frozen on tiptoes in fear
And sink to our heels in relief
Past kids on their paperround trails
Milkfloats and shiftworker cars
And revellers staggering home
Rendezvous at the top of the park
Gaze down at the smoke and the lights
The buildings suspiciously quiet
And I reach for a Paperchase bag
Rip pages from plain A4 pads
Write notes for the city below
And I’m folding arrows and you’re folding darts dear
And I’m E H Mathews and you’re Ninomiya
It’s all in symmetrics and aerodynamics in classic design
As it glides from my hands
Past the padlocked park gates
Through the cold city streets
Past the tired chief execs
Somersaults and pirouettes
Past health spa retreats
Venture capitalists
‘Til they swoop and they fall
Paper aeroplanes are raining down
Just to haunt you
We’ll launch ‘til we drop
Chapped hands and sharp paper cuts
Bruises and javelin arms
And they’ll glance off the lampposts and trees
Knock hats off the suits in the street
And land in their coffees and teas
So I’m making airfoils and you’ve built a fuselage
I’m writing sound bites and you’ve written monologues
So pick the targets they’ll fly with a serene velocity girl
Glide and then fall
Past the rush hour cars
And the cinema aisles
And the rooftop hotels
Pirouettes and somersaults
Past old market stalls
And juvenile courts
Til they swoop and they fall
Paper aeroplanes are raining down
Just to haunt you somehow
And as the sun comes up
Gaze at the horizon and ask
What on earth is going on
Pirouettes and somersaults