Quantum Sheep Clouds graze the sky; below, sheep drift gentle over fields, soft mirrors, warm white snow. (Original poem by Valerie Laws) i) white sheep graze below soft sky the warm Clouds drift over snow gentle fields mirrors ii) gentle below over warm Clouds soft sheep drift white mirrors graze the sky snow fields … Continue reading Two Poems by Richard Skinner
Tag: Smokestack Books
Two poems by Richard Skinner
The Cloud of Unknowing There, it is done. We have built squarely in the dross of the land a place of worship for our Lord. It took years to sand the stone, make flush the lines. But, really, we were shaping our own misshapen lives. Scrape mud before you enter, be clean. Embolden yourself—look up, … Continue reading Two poems by Richard Skinner
‘A confession’ by Mark Robinson
A confession My friends, I left my foot in and I followed through. I ploughed on when pace left me for dead. I pulled out of simple 50:50s. I chose to stand still and became a wall. I ball-watched, took my eye off it. I made bad decisions and thought I saw passes My limbs … Continue reading ‘A confession’ by Mark Robinson
Half the Story by Ian Duhig
Half the Story Franz Kafka, the story goes, encountered a little girl in the park where he walked regularly. She was crying. She'd lost her doll. Kafka helped the girl search for the doll, but they couldn’t find it. They arranged to meet there next day to look again for her doll, but still they … Continue reading Half the Story by Ian Duhig
‘Don’t Mention the Children’ by Michael Rosen
Don't mention the children. Israel bans radio advert listing names of children killed in Gaza (Guardian 24.07.14) Don't name the dead children. The people must not know the names of the dead children. The names of the children must be hidden. The children must be nameless. The children must leave this world having no names. … Continue reading ‘Don’t Mention the Children’ by Michael Rosen
Two poems by Richard Skinner
Two poems from the light user scheme the vague notion of authorship Japanese scientists have recently confirmed my appearance, they say that the papaya is not a cousin of passion fruit, but of the cauliflower, that a cow is more akin to whales than camels. As a foundling, I can now choose my … Continue reading Two poems by Richard Skinner
Two poems by Mark Robinson
Primary The trees at school talked to themselves while I held firm and fierce at right back. The dinner hall looked just like it smelt – off white, peeling, corrugated like the cardboard lining my grow-into shoes. A queue of children holding chairs two feet off the ground snaked past. Then a sudden burning … Continue reading Two poems by Mark Robinson
andotherpoems.com 