Natalie Shaw
Ice House Love
He rather liked the ice house
No, he was already a little in love
with the ice house
No, even before they had been properly introduced
No, or even met
Ah my frozen lake
– all 300 tonnes! –
Ah its stately melt
Ah
[Unlike that other ice]
This Ice is clean
Six inches thick and remarkably clean
Remarkably clean
[homegrown ice is not so clean]
Import duty set arbitrarily high
The ice men came
The old ice money
[He was not concerned with that]
[The ice carts up and down the streets]
Remarkably clean
Natalie Shaw‘s pamphlet Dirty Martini will be published in January 2023 with Broken Sleep, and Oh be quiet is out now with Against the Grain.
To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.