Charlie Baylis


chalcot square

words appear
on the walls

great lakes strung from her fingers
builders vomiting multicoloured glitter over gravel
the grass bends back
lacing the ditches with dull green
from where we admire
ponds full of nothing

twins walk past the gates
desperate for contact with the dead
shadows hover over the sun

expanding patches of silver
leave a scent on the lawn
the swing-set swinging still

tigers in the lemon grass
dolly mix ice-cream
red roses blushing into onrushing day

she pulls the plug from the whirlpool     flips vertical
the moon holds her
in the palm of his hand
the north winds moan         impotent gods
flickering
wet     with      sap
water lilies     despotic moths     unkind destiny
the sky is only blue because we’re locked in

_


Charlie Baylis is the Editor of Anthropocene. His poetry has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize and once for the Forward Prize. His most recent publication is Swimming (Red Ceiling Press). Charlie is the Poetry Editor of Review 31 and the Assistant Editor of Broken Sleep Books.

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