Sheena Blackhall Poems

Albrecht Dürer painted his portrait holding a thistle
In the 15th century, thistles were signs of fidelity.
It was also an aphrodisiac
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Bus Story
An empty bus is a husk
When it starts on its route, gets into the groove of its journey
Its rattling sides begin to prattle with chatter
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Falling down
In Rome, the ruins of the Ancients
Still impress: marble columns, temples
Stand in the dust of centuries
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Chacun à son gout
Some fowk ett buckies like sweeties
Or Walker's crisps
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The daylight turned from gold to rinsed out grey
Danger Ahead. No exit. No right turn
Dead in the time it takes to boil an egg
Life was a reel gone wrong, and fast unravelling
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He is walking up every Munro in Scotland 23 times.
Are you listening, the world press?

Because he is a masochist
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How many lips unkissed?
How many summers missed?
How many pets unkept?
How many nights unslept?
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Butoh
I watched an old man dance, a living ghost
His face was melted tallow, smeared with tears
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The fans of the man are legion:
Michael Jackson, Abe Lincoln, John Steinbeck, Bob Dylan
The astronaut Nick Patrick took his poems into space
217 times they orbited the earth
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Some food on the table would not be eaten,
Only the eyes and nose would sample food
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