forty of us, rigid with stage fright.
My whistle shrieked on a high note.
We harmonised on all the songs
but fell apart with the grand finale,
the well-rehearsed ‘O I know a wee spot …’
as the group split between London and Lovely.
COLETTE BRYCE
10th February: Queen
I keep the queen, she is long in my hand,
her legs slightly pliant;
folded, dropped down, wings flat
that flew her mating flight
to the sun and back, full of spermatozoa, dronesong.
She was made mechanically ecstatic.
I magnify what she is, magnify her skews and centres.
How downy she is, fur like a fox’s greyness, like a thistle’s mane.
Wings perfect, abdomen subtle in shades of brittle;
her rear legs are big in the lens;
feet like hung anchors are hooks for staying on cell-rims.
Veins in her wings are a rootwork of rivers,
all echo and interlace. This is her face, compound eye.
I look at the slope of her head, the mouth’s proboscis;
her thin tongue piercing is pink as cut flesh, flash glass.
Some hairs feather and split below the head.
Those eyes are like castanets, cast nets;
woman all feral and ironwork, I slip
under the framework, into the subtle.
The wing is jointed at the black leather shoulder.
I wear it, I am soft to stroke, the lower blade fans.
Third generation queen of our stock,
you fall as I turn. I hold your hunchback;
a carcase of lightness, no grief, part animal, part flower.
SEAN BORODALE
In Belfast
I
Here the seagulls stay in off the Lough all day.
Victoria Regina steering the ship of the City Hall
in this the first and last of her intense provinces,
a ballast of copper and gravitas.
The inhaling shop-fronts exhale the length
and breadth of Royal Avenue, pause,
inhale again. The city is making money
on a weather-mangled Tuesday.
While the house for the Transport Workers’ Union
fights the weight of the sky and manages
to stay up, under the Albert Bridge the river
is simmering at low tide and sheeted with silt.
II
I have returned after ten years to a corner
and tell myself it is as real to sleep here
as the twenty other corners I have slept in.
More real, even, with this history’s dent and fracture
splitting the atmosphere. And what I have been given
is a delicate unravelling of wishes
that leaves the future unspoken and the past
unencountered and unaccounted for.
This city weaves itself so intimately
it is hard to see, despite the tenacity of the river
and the iron sky; and in its downpour and its vapour I am
as much at home here as I will ever be.
SINÉAD MORRISSEY
Already someone’s set their dogs among the swans
The loch looks away, up at the crags
of Holyrood Park, as the landscape
turns witness to all that, one day,
I’d be surprised to think of as myself.
My tongue slumps in my mouth again,
a bastard feather. The moon, wearing
her off-the-shoulder number, slips
her bare shadows down to my feet –
my ghost preceding me, like a magnet.
The swans begin to nest, or, snorting water,
turn like hefty lanterns
gazing around themselves
as headlights of late traffic, brash crescendos,
rally for expiring destinations.
For nothing withstands this coolness
closing in, so constantly remote.
I’d live the night out
on the dark hymnal lake, to hear it talking
towards the edges of itself – that voice of the waters
so completely unbothered,
syllabic and out for the count.
RACHEL BOAST
Us
If you ask me, us takes in undulations –
each wave in the sea, all insides compressed –
as if, from one coast, you could reach out to
the next; and maybe it’s a Midlands thing
but when I was young, us equally meant me,
says the one, ‘Oi, you, tell us where yer from’;
and the way supporters share the one fate –
I, being one, am Liverpool no less –
cresting the Mexican wave of we or us,
a shore-like state, two places at once, God
knows what’s in it; and, at opposite ends
my heart’s sunk at separations of us.
When it comes to us, colour me unsure.
Something in me, or it, has failed the course.
I’d love to think I could stretch to it – us –
but the waves therein are too wide for words.
I hope you get, here, where I’m coming from.
I hope you’re with me on this – between love
and loss – where I’d give myself away, stranded
as if the universe is a matter of one stress.
Us. I hope, from here on, I can say it
and though far-fetched, it won’t be too far wrong.
ZAFFAR KUNIAL
ACKNOWLEDEGEMENTS
The publisher gratefully acknowledges permission to reprint copyright material in this book as follows:
ABSE, DANNIE: ‘Epithalamion’ from New & Collected Poems (Hutchinson 2003) © Dannie Abse 2003; ‘The Boasts of Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd’ © Dannie Abse; both poems reproduced by permission of the Estate through United Agents
ADCOCK, FLEUR: ‘Immigrant’ © Fleur Adcock reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books
AGARD, JOHN: ‘Listen, Mr Oxford Don’ © John Agard reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Alternative Anthem: Selected Poems, with Live DVD (Bloodaxe Books 2009)
AGBABI, PATIENCE: ‘The London Eye’, from Bloodshot Monochrome (Canongate 2008), reprinted by permission of the publisher
ALLNUTT, GILLIAN: ‘Alien’ © Gillian Allnut reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from How the Bicycle Shone: New & Selected Poems (Bloodaxe 2007)
ALVI, MONIZA: ‘Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan’ © Moniza Alvi reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Split World: Poems 1990–2005 (Bloodaxe Books 2005)
ARMITAGE, SIMON: ‘To the Women of Merrie England Coffee Houses, Huddersfield’, Taken from Paper Aeroplane: Selected Poems 1988–2014 © Simon Armitage and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber; translation © Simon Armitage and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
AUDEN, W. H.: ‘Refugee Blues’; ‘Night Mail’; ‘In Memory of W. B. Yeats’ © the Estate of W. H. Auden by kind permission of the Estate through its agents Curtis Brown
BECKETT, SAMUEL: ‘Cascando’, taken from Collected Poems of Samuel Beckett © Estate of Samuel Beckett and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
BEER, PATRICIA: ‘The Lost Woman’ © the Estate of Patricia Beer reprinted by kind permission of Carcanet Press Ltd, Manchester, UK
BELLERBY, FRANCES: ‘Lovers are Separate’; ‘Ends Meet’, from Selected Poems (Enitharmon)
BELLOC, HILAIRE: ‘Ha’nacker Mill’; ‘Ballade of Genuine Concern’, from Sonnets and Verse by Hilaire Belloc reprinted by permissions of Peters Fraser and Dunlop on behalf of the Estate of Hilaire Belloc
BERRY, JAMES: ‘Englan Voice’ © James Berry reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from The Story I Am In: Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books 2011)
&n
bsp; BOAST, RACHEL: ‘Already someone’s set their dogs among the swans’ © Rachel Boast reprinted by kind permission of Picador
BOLAND, EAVAN: ‘The Achill Woman’ © Eavan Boland reprinted by kind permission of Carcanet Press Ltd, Manchester, UK; translation © Eavan Boland from The Word Exchange (ed. Greg Delanty and Michael Matto), W. W. Norton & Company
BORODALE, SEAN: ‘10th February: Queen’ © Sean Borodale reprinted by kind permission of Penguin Random House
BREEZE, JEAN ‘BINTA’: ‘The Wife of Bath Speaks in Brixton Market’ © Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Third World Girl: Selected Poems, with live DVD (Bloodaxe Books 2011)
BROWN, GEORGE MACKAY: ‘Butter’; ‘Hamnavoe Market’; ‘Haddock Fishermen’ © The Estate of George Mackay Brown
BRYCE, COLETTE: ‘And They Call It Lovely Derry’ © Colette Bryce reprinted by kind permission of Picador
BUNTING, BASIL: ‘from Briggflatts’ © The Estate of Basil Bunting reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Complete Poems (Bloodaxe Books 2000)
BURNSIDE, JOHN: ‘The Singer’ © John Burnside reprinted by kind permission of Penguin Random House and United Agents
CARSON, CIARAN: ‘Belfast Confetti’ by kind permission of the author and The Gallery Press, Loughcrew, Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland from Collected Poems (2008)
CAUSLEY, CHARLES: ‘Eden Rock’ from Collected Poems 1951–2000 (Macmillan)
CHAMBERLAIN, BRENDA: ‘Dead Ponies’ © Estate of Brenda Chamberlain
CONRAN, ANTHONY: ‘Elegy for the Welsh Dead, in the Falkland Islands, 1982’; translations © The Estate of Anthony Conran reprinted by kind permission of Seren Books
CONSTANTINE, DAVID: ‘New Year Behind the Asylum’ © David Constantine reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Collected Poems (Bloodaxe Books 2004)
COPE, WENDY: ‘Shakespeare at School’ © Wendy Cope reproduced by permission of the artist through United Agents
CORNFORD, FRANCIS: ‘Childhood’; ‘To a Fat Lady Seen from a Train’ by permission of the Trustees of the Francis Crofts Cornford Will Trust
CRAWFORD, ROBERT: ‘The Numties’ © Robert Crawford reprinted by permission of Penguin Random House and David Godwin Associates
CROSSLEY-HOLLAND, KEVIN: ‘The Battle of Brunanburh’ © Kevin Crossley-Holland reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press
DAVIES, IDRIS: ‘The Bells of Rhymney’; ‘The Angry Summer’ from The Collected Poems of Idris Davies (ed. Islwyn Jenkins) (Gomer), reproduced by permission of Gomer Press and the Estate of Idris Davies
DE LA MARE, WALTER: ‘The Birthnight’; ‘No’, reproduced by permission of the Literary Trustees of Walter de la Mare and the Society of Authors
DHARKER, IMTIAZ: ‘I Swear’ © Imtiaz Dharker reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Over the Moon (Bloodaxe Books 2014)
DOOLEY, MAURA: ‘The Women of Mumbles Head’ © Maura Dooley reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Soundbarrier: Poems 1982–2002 Bloodaxe Books 2001)
DOWNIE, FREDA: The Estate of Freda Downie reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Collected Poems (ed. George Szirtes) (Bloodaxe Books 1995)
DRAYCOTT, JANE: translation © Jane Draycott reproduced by kind permission of Carcanet Press Ltd, Manchester UK
DUHIG, IAN: ‘From the Irish’ © Ian Duhig reproduced by kind permission of Picador
DUNN, DOUGLAS: ‘Extra Helpings’ © Douglas Dunn reproduced by permission of the artist through United Agents and Faber & Faber
DURCAN, PAUL: ‘Tullynoe: Tête-à-Tête in the Parish Priest’s Parlour’ © Paul Durcan reproduced by permission of the author
EARLE, JEAN: ‘A Saturday in the ’20s’ © Jean Earle reprinted by kind permission of Seren Books
EDGAR, MARRIOTT: ‘The Lion and Albert’ © the Estate of Marriott Edgar
ELIOT, T. S.: ‘The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock’ taken from The Poems of T. S . Eliot: Volume I © the Estate of T. S. Eliot and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber; ‘A Game of Chess’ taken from The Waste Land © the Estate of T. S. Eliot and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
EVANS, MARGIAD: ‘To my sister Sian’ © the Estate of Margiad Evans
FAINLIGHT, RUTH: ‘Handbag’ © Ruth Fainlight reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from New & Collected Poems (Bloodaxe Books 2011)
FANTHORPE, U. A.: ‘Father in the Railway Buffet’ from New and Collected Poems, Enitharmon Press 2010
FARLEY, PAUL: ‘from The Electric Poly-Olbion’ © Paul Farley reproduced by permission of Rogers Coleridge and White
FISHER, ROY: ‘The Nation’ © Roy Fisher reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from The Long & the Short of It: Poems 1955–2010 (Bloodaxe Books 2012)
FRANCIS, MATTHEW: ‘from The Mabinogian’ © Matthew Francis and Faber & Faber
GASCOYNE, DAVID: ‘A Wartime Dawn’ © The Estate of David Gascoyne
GRAHAM, W. S.: ‘To My Wife at Midnight’; ‘Greenock at Night I Find You’; ‘Loch Thom’ reproduced by permission of Rosalind Mudaliar, the Estate of W. S. Graham
GRAVES, ROBERT: ‘Tilth’; ‘The Christmas Robin’ © Estate of Robert Graves reprinted by kind permission of Carcanet Press Ltd, Manchester, UK
GREENLAW, LAVINIA: ‘Blackwater’ taken from Minsk © Lavinia Greenlaw and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
GUNN, THOM: ‘Hampstead: Horse Chestnut Trees’ taken from Collected Poems © Estate of Thom Gunn and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
HAMER, RICHARD: translations © Richard Hamer reprinted by permission of Faber & Faber
HARVEY, F. W.: ‘Ducks’ © Mrs E. Griffiths
HEANEY, SEAMUS: ‘The Blackbird of Glanmore’ taken from District and Circle Line © Estate of Seamus Heaney and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber; ‘Punishment’ taken from North © Estate of Seamus Heaney and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber; ‘The Harvest ‘Bow and ‘The Gutteral Muse’ from Field Work © Estate of Seamus Heaney and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber; ‘A Keen for the Coins’ © Estate of Seamus Heaney reprinted with permission; translations © Estate of Seamus Heaney
HEATH-STUBBS, JOHN: ‘The Green Man’s Last Will and Testament’ from The Naming of Beasts (Carcanet)
HERBERT, W. N.: ‘Mappamundi’ © W. N. Herbert reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books
HENRI, ADRIAN: © the Estate of Adrian Henri reproduced by permission of Rogers Coleridge and White
HENRY, PAUL: ‘Song of a Wire Fence’ © Paul Henry reprinted by kind permission of Seren Books
HILL, GEOFFREY: ‘from Mercian Hymns’ © The Estate of Geoffrey Hill reproduced by permission of Penguin Random House
HOLLIS, MATTHEW: translation © Matthew Hollis reproduced by permission of the author
HUGHES, TED: ‘Football at Slack’, ‘Wind’ and ‘Epiphany’ taken from Collected Poems © Estate of Ted Hughes and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
HUMPHREYS, EMYR: translation © Emyr Humphrey
JAMIE, KATHLEEN: ‘Mr and Mrs Scotland Are Dead’ © Kathleen Jamie reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Mr and Mrs Scotland Are Dead: Poems 1980–1994 (Bloodaxe Books 2002)
JENNINGS, ELIZABETH: ‘The Child’s Story’; ‘My Grandmother’; ‘A Bird in the House’ from The Collected Poems (Carcanet) reproduced by kind permission of Carcanet Press Ltd, Manchester UK
JONES, DAVID: ‘from In Parenthesis’ © Estate of David Jones and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
KAVANAGH, PATRICK: ‘The Long Garden’; ‘Epic’ from Collected Poems (ed. A. Quinn) (Allen Lane 2004) by permission of the Trustees of the Estate of Katherine B. Kavanagh, Jonathan Williams Literary Agency
KAY, JACKIE: ‘Pride’ © Jackie Kay reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from Darling: New and Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books 2007)
KENELLEY, BRENDAN: ‘Begin’ © Brendan Kennelley reprinted by kind permission of Bloodaxe Books from
Familiar Strangers: New & Selected Poems 1960–2004 (Bloodaxe Books 2004)
KUNIAL, ZAFFAR: ‘Us’ © Zaffar Kunial reproduced by permission of the author
LARKIN, PHILIP: ‘Money’, ‘Water’ and ‘Going, Going’ taken from The Complete Poems © Estate of Philip Larkin and reprinted with permission of the Society of Authors and Faber & Faber
LEONARD, TOM: ‘“Unrelated Incidents” – No. 3’ from outside the narrative (Poems 1965–2009) by permission of the author
LOCHHEAD, LIZ: ‘Bagpipe Muzak, Glasgow 1990’ © Liz Lochhead 1990 by kind permission of the author
LOGUE, CHRISTOPHER: ‘I Shall Vote Labour’ taken from Selected Poems © Estate of Christopher Logue and reprinted with permission of Faber & Faber
LONGLEY, MICHAEL: ‘River & Fountain’ © Michael Longley and reproduced by kind permission of the author and The LAW Agency; translations © Michael Longley
MACAULAY, ROSE: ‘Lunch Hour’ reproduced by permission of the Society of Authors as the literary representative of the Estate of Rose Macaulay
MACCAIG, NORMAN: ‘Feeding Ducks’; ‘Toad’; ‘Deceptions?’ © The Estate of Norman McCaig
MACDIARMID, HUGH: ‘The Bonnie Broukit Bairn’; ‘Back Bedroom’ © Estate of Hugh MacDiarmid reprinted by kind permission of Carcanet Press Ltd, Manchester, UK
MCGUCKIAN, MEDBH: ‘To a Cuckoo at Coolanlough’ © by kind permission of the author and The Gallery Press, Loughcrew, Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland
MACKINNON, LACHLAN: ‘On the Roof of the World’ © Lachlan Mackinnon reproduced with the permission of by Faber & Faber
MACNEACCAIL, AONGHAS: ‘gaelic is alive’ © Aonghas MacNeacail reproduced from dèanamh gàire ris a’ chloc / laughing at the clock: new and selected poems with permission from Polygon
MACNEICE, LOUIS: ‘Carrickfergus’; ‘Soap Suds’; ‘Snow’ from The Collected Poems (Faber) and reprinted by permission of David Higham Associates Faber & Faber
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