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.