We did not know we needed these words
until we read them
- Catagory is
I started writing poetry and spoken word about 5 years ago when a friend asked me to perform at their event; suddenly all the heavy metaphors that sounded ridiculous in my short stories had a space. Writing poetry suits me because I have a really short attention span and can never get round to finishing prose.
This collection is about first love, first vibrators, first orgasms, first eating disorders, and first (and last) prayers. I was inspired by my relationship with my body and wishing I could have accessed all the information I’ve learned now, back when I was 15. I’m also really inspired by mythology and history so that weaves its way into the poems as well.
My advice for new writers is just keep going and keep experimenting. If you can’t find the right form, you will one day, I promise. Also, anything goes, I don’t believe in structure or genre, just write and you’ll find a place for it.
I think poetry is heading to a really positive place that hopefully has less pretension and barriers. I think it's moving away from the idea that you have to be super literary and academic to get involved. Freeform and spoken word poetry has done so much work in appealing to more people and giving people confidence to give it a go.
Bleeding
I ask my sister if she misses bleeding
If it made her feel more alive
More woman
She said bleeding always made her feel less human
A mark of other
I tell her I like the pain
Something about seeing the blood outside
Makes my insides make sense
My mum cries out
When her runner beans are eaten by a crow
My dad swears loudly
When they attack the other little birds
I’ve always liked crows
I feel uncomfortable
I want to tell them
They’re only seeing half the story
Suitcase
You unpack my absence like I am a suitcase
Unpack my suitcase until I can no longer leave
Unpack our relationship so it makes a tiny piece of sense
Unpack our bodies then we will not exist without each other
Returning home
I am dissected
Hung drawn and quartered
Not even you can put me back together again
And anyway
After all that
One day
On a saturday
You’re the one who leaves