Tuesday, 15 November 2011

The underside of silence


 

When glass touches glass,
when wine meets lip,
what words curl in gaze? 

Tenderness,
eternity,
moment,
glacier,
us?
  
Pick.

And tell me…. 

What does a glacier look like from beneath the surface?
What is the colour on the underside of silence?
Is there not music below freezing point?
When you melt, does your body disappear
into cloud or harvest,
starlight or smoke-ring,
you or me?
 
[The title poem of the collection by the same name, shortlisted for the Gratiaen Award 2009]

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