Four Poems by JW Summerisle v a r i o u s b o d i e s i n v a r i o u s b a t h s twelve fish openmouth and sinkshallow in the brook. it is the mouth of hell. he says so youidentify with the one who cut all her hair off? and i say nothing.i shan’t raise him up. my flock drinks thewater and theirfleeces all turn black. it is a collective act. at their meal of glass my sisters sup theblood of grapes. black fishburst and dirty. they smell sweet, however.shed their skin like snakes. f i f t i e s m e m o r a b i l i a a poltergeist is smashing plates.it smells like burning hair. decorative vintage edge meetsedge of kitchen wall. kitsch wall unit pours teacupsover me. recuperate this mug. sealit with something soft. like wool plucked fromyour own black beastly head. wouldst thou like to live deliciously? the devil intones sarcasmsmoking the bones above your feet. the disembodiedspirit screams obscenities about a dog. your body.your skin. her kith. your kin. a cracking sound summons upa sheep from out of hell. the cost is our collectivesanity. and a collection of vintage plates. c o a t f u l l o f p l a g u e local history says the plague was brought here last by acoat. a dead girl’s family sent it up as a gift for one girlhere. and she died. from the sickness in it. and i oftenthink of the plague pit apparently unmarked where the unmourned bodies ofmy brothers lie host to a hundred plague fedsheep. p a c k e t o f m a y f a i r bruise of smoking,my mothers head swells from thehands of the bryll cream man whose blue eyespresuppose a heaven that doesn’t care for usat all. Meet the Poet! JW Summerisle lives in the English East Midlands. Their chapbook, ‘kinfolk’, is available from Black Sunflowers Poetry Press (and can be ordered through Waterstones and Blackwell’s). They make and sell artwork, clothing and weird stuff online. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... Published by fragmentedvoices A small, independent press based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and Prague, the Czech Republic View all posts by fragmentedvoices