Letter to my Mother You lie underneath him, a measure of mud between you. This was our final argument – his and mine – your husband/my step-father. I’m told of a double headstone, which I haven’t visited, since I held my niece’s hand, threw a lily and a tablespoon of chalky soil on your lid. … Continue reading ‘Letter to my Mother’ by Katrina Naomi
Author: And Other Poems
‘What my grandfather sees at 90’ by Catherine Ayres
What my grandfather sees at 90 Dawn in the boiler’s long sigh A misdirected piss in warm toes A broken cup in the taste of salt A daughter’s face in softness under his palms The afternoon sliced by a clock Donna’s smile in the smell of Silk Cut Forgotten shoes in a slap from the … Continue reading ‘What my grandfather sees at 90’ by Catherine Ayres
Three poems by Andrew Sclater
Nursery Rhyme Don’t talk to Mother, she is feeding your brother. Don’t talk to Mother, or else she will smother you. Don’t talk to Father, either. You are NOT to bother Father– he is at work. Run along. Stop lurking now DO what I say. DON’T answer back. Put on your shoe. There are places … Continue reading Three poems by Andrew Sclater
Two poems by Andrew F Giles
A battlefield of lovers I love authority & it loves me: my slippery womb, come soon with your jovial control - it’s my choice & even my words seem spoken by my own voice. I pitch my battle from left to right & get a hot lunch - a serpent on a plate, eating its … Continue reading Two poems by Andrew F Giles
Two poems by Olivia Dawson
Legacy He leaves a threadbare rug laid out for me like an invitation. Cold stubble under my toes I feel the patterns mapped out by his feet and step into them like snowshoes to carry me over the deepest drifts. (Commended in Second Light’s Poetry Competition 2013 and published in ARTEMISpoetry November 2013) … Continue reading Two poems by Olivia Dawson
‘Whale’ by Gordon Gibson
Whale Winter: windless, and a morning frost Yielded, softening in the southern sun. Kaikoura was still and bright, and the air carried The sweet scent of the glass-green ocean. We sailed in a small craft, stopping Where, we were told, the shelving shore Pitched precipice-like to dark depths, And we waited. No waves stirred the … Continue reading ‘Whale’ by Gordon Gibson
‘The Bird Room’ by Dawn Gorman
The Bird Room There were no birds here, just books about them, maps on the walls with a forest of pins to mark where he’d seen them, and drawer after drawer of eggs. Her bed was squeezed into a corner; she drew in her borders so she could fit. A leopard-print chair was pushed up … Continue reading ‘The Bird Room’ by Dawn Gorman
Two poems by Mark Russell
For Harry, Wilma & Queen George The company assembles on home turf – The Dolphin. One whisky, and dog tags to help us home. Camel calls a taxi to take us to the start – The Britannia. From here our orders are: pints of bitter only. Wire gets a text in The Crown & Sceptre. … Continue reading Two poems by Mark Russell
Two poems by Ken Evans
In Zero Gravity If ever you are sucked out into space by an ill-judged partnership, a scheming co-worker, the belligerent family member, you’ll know what love spurned feels like: your eyes bulge but cannot shed tears, out beyond the troposphere. The moisture on your tongue boils, blood does not flow. You lose what’s down or … Continue reading Two poems by Ken Evans
‘Ain’t she sweet’ by Lizz Murphy
Ain't She Sweet We pace off the spare hour the streets quiet our bubble gum breath in front of us chat between ourselves get our bikes get our skates bash our tennis balls against the neighbour’s gable wall knock on another friend’s door a walk down the street A big chunky car tawny cruisy slows … Continue reading ‘Ain’t she sweet’ by Lizz Murphy
