for Diane Arbus
1
the fog clears the phoenix palm
scratches for more space
pushes books into the body of a memoir
time’s transparency
feels tampered with the morning
lives in glass
2
undressed this room
holds its breath
a light bulb
swings imperceptibly
shadows pad their fingers
behind old curtains
no one
moves the door closes
5
from the bus window
departure is smudged a mother waves
at the rain
at a small boy running
the picture repeats itself
the boy stops
the mother is already fiction
6
summer insinuates
white bodies
lying amongst tents
worshipping sunburnt deities
frazzled by intensity
a girl dashes after the image
of a blackbird
7
after the performance the man
in the grey-boiler suit exits the comedian
exits the singer of Schubert
& an eyeless mask
exit
only the mime artist
remains curled up on the stage
like a small memento
the fog clears the phoenix palm
scratches for more space
pushes books into the body of a memoir
time’s transparency
feels tampered with the morning
lives in glass
2
undressed this room
holds its breath
a light bulb
swings imperceptibly
shadows pad their fingers
behind old curtains
no one
moves the door closes
5
from the bus window
departure is smudged a mother waves
at the rain
at a small boy running
the picture repeats itself
the boy stops
the mother is already fiction
6
summer insinuates
white bodies
lying amongst tents
worshipping sunburnt deities
frazzled by intensity
a girl dashes after the image
of a blackbird
7
after the performance the man
in the grey-boiler suit exits the comedian
exits the singer of Schubert
& an eyeless mask
exit
only the mime artist
remains curled up on the stage
like a small memento
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Iain Britton is the author of several poetry collections. His work has been nominated in the UK for a Forward Prize for Best Single Poem and Best First Collection. Like This Press, Oystercatcher Press and Lapwing Publications have published small collections. Poems have been published in Harvard Review, Poetry, The New York Times, Poet Lore, Stand, Wild Court, New Humanist, Agenda, New Statesman, Prototype, Poetry Birmingham, and others. The Intaglio Poems was published by Hesterglock Press UK 2017. A new chapbook, Project Constellation, was published in London by Sampson Low in 2022.
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