sitting on the lakeside terrace bench of the barbican

Jody Muhammad Ezananda
2 min readApr 22, 2023

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there’s something very comforting about the architecture of the barbican

there’s me and melson
resting

listening to dan bejar’s blabber
his non-sensical prophecy
perhaps it’s too early
but the weather’s windy and very gloomy
and there’s probably no better time for this
since i’m escaping newcastle anyway

as the guy wearing sony headphones behind me is smoking

wearing the shakespeare and company totebag
my professor asked whether i read james joyce

i said well ulyssess is quite a title and quite a homework
but no you can never wear this totebag without ever reading james joyce.
start with the dubliners!

okay, the name of the band

ivan’s leaving
frank’s staying

not quite sure where all my other friends are now

melson in his beige coat
and his ami bag, with a cool sweater inside

why are you not pursuing art
asian people we tend to dis___ art

the thing is art is a culture of the middle and upper classes
the borguise
it’s not a necessity

but wait until you experience a heartbreak
the great ones especially

you’ll eventually want to write
and that’s what i’m doing right now

it’s the first day of the fasting month
16 hours long here

but i think i’m gonna survive this
not the fasting
but, this

and i kinda miss
your
sweet salty & sassy
presence

oh to be young and in love in the barbican

— jody muhammad ezananda

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