Wednesday 9 October 2013

9. October 2013  - Huffpost published my poem, today but unfortunately, in spite of much effort on both sides of the Atlantic, they can't get the form onto their blog, so it looks strange. However, the language is still there and there is a super pic to introduce the poem on the general page.

The poem is in Huffpost 50 - a part of the Journal that focuses on older people and is published in 7 countries. What I'm proud of is that this is not a literary magazine, though literary mags. matter a lot.  But these are just Huffpost staff who decided to trawl the globe for poems they like written by people over fifty and publish them - I think the guy who chose my poem is a business editor. To be chosen here for that reason matters a lot to me - it's really encouraging to know work can be liked beyond the literary world too.

link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-byard/featured-fifty-poetry_b_3696238.html?utm_hp_ref=featured-fifty-poetry

Poem as it should look:


The Corset


That hot summer in Maine
when I was fourteen, Granny
found herself beached
in her whale-boned corset
high above the shimmering shoreline  -
our bags rugs drinks and clothes
washed up against her.
                           She sweltered
but was adamant, until the thermometer
nudged ninety and even she
had a refit to Bermuda shorts
and a top.
                          I wondered
if she'd tip over without her stays -
but she trimmed herself up
to full four feet nine inches,
and breeze belling her loose blouse
                                 sailed
straight with my little brother
through the shallows for crabbing -
        naked toes wriggling beneath.

No comments:

Post a Comment