When Milton spoke of the ‘copulation of angels’
And Lear said, ‘Let copulation thrive!’
They were praising the way that the life-force
Overcomes death with love’s sexual drive.

‘There’s little else that life can supply,’
Said John Wilkes, the people’s tribune,
‘But a few good fucks and then we die.’
Leaving our dust in continuous motion…

And who can prove that we don’t live beyond the grave
As spiritualized selves enjoying vibrant spasms –
While other-worldly beings cluster round us
to arouse us In a transcendent land of perpetual orgasms?

‘The Genitals are Beauty,’ proclaimed William Blake
And, when they merge in love’s fiery fever,
It’s hard not to think that all’s right with the world;
That these situations will go on forever.


Heathcote Williams’s most recent book is American Porn (Thin Man Press, 2017). His play, The Ruff Tuff Creem Puff Estate Agency, is to be staged in April by Cardboard Citizens at the Bunker in Southwark as part of a season of plays on the theme of homelessness, Home Truths.

Subscribe for the latest from the UK’s oldest literary magazine.

Sign up to our newsletter for the latest poetry and prose, news and competition updates, as well as 10% off our shop. 

You can unsubscribe any time by clicking the link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or directly on info@thelondonmagazine.org. Find our privacy policies and terms of use at the bottom of our website.