Poetry Magazine
Moppet
Consider the rip for a mouth, the rip in the crotch, the hank of hair,
consider the flair for ill-fortune, the empty stare, the done deal
with sorrow, the rich and rare nest-egg of dreams, the share and share
alike in matters of loss, the payments in kind, the liking for blind
bets, for truth or dare; consider the threadbare get up, the make-up
beyond repair, the tin-tack teeth, consider the dungeon voice
wanting nothing more than bare house-room, and nothing less
than hand-in-glove, a pigeon pair given over to make and mend,
to touch and go, to wear and tear, and all it takes is this: forswear
flint and fire, stay silent, be white on white, live in dead air.
consider the flair for ill-fortune, the empty stare, the done deal
with sorrow, the rich and rare nest-egg of dreams, the share and share
alike in matters of loss, the payments in kind, the liking for blind
bets, for truth or dare; consider the threadbare get up, the make-up
beyond repair, the tin-tack teeth, consider the dungeon voice
wanting nothing more than bare house-room, and nothing less
than hand-in-glove, a pigeon pair given over to make and mend,
to touch and go, to wear and tear, and all it takes is this: forswear
flint and fire, stay silent, be white on white, live in dead air.
Source: Poetry (January 2011).
Biography
David Harsent's new collection, Night, is a Poetry Book Society Choice and will be released this month by Faber & Faber. He is currently working on an English translation of Yannis Ritsos.
Poem Categorization
SUBJECT Living, Disappointment & Failure
Poetic Terms Prose Poem
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