The interior love poem
the deeper levels of the selfdates when the abandonment
of certain principles occurredThe role of courtesy—how to enter
a forest, how to touch
a master’s feet before lesson or performanceThe art of the drum. The art of eye-painting.
How to cut an arrow. Gestures between lovers.
The pattern of teeth marks on skin
drawn by a monk from memoryThe limits of betrayal. The five ways
a lover could mock an ex-loverThe skill in tentative messages
which included yes and no
but never the direct maybeNine finger and eye gestures
to signal key emotionsThe small boats of solitude
Lyrics that rose
from love
back into airnaked with guile
and praiseOur works and days
We knew how monsoons
(south-west, north-east)
would govern behaviourand when to discover
the knowledge of the deadhidden in clouds
in rivers, in unbroken rockAll this was burnt
or traded for power and wealth
from the eight compass points of vengeancefrom the two levels of envy
2023 Forward Prizes
Withstances
‘I alone know a running stream
that is recovery partly and dim sweat
of a day-fever’
A poem by Rowan Evans.
In Conversation
‘Humour is a thread we hang onto. It punctures through the fog of guilt.’
Momtaza Mehri in conversation with Warsan Shire.
In Conversation
‘Something shifted in me that night. A small voice in my head said, maybe you can make a way for yourself as a poet here, too.’
Mary Jean Chan in conversation with Andrew McMillan.
Joy and Insecurity in Port-au-Prince
‘There was to be an exhibition. There were lots of pictures like his, apparently – of waiters, pastry cooks, valets, bellboys.’
An essay by Jason Allen-Paisant from Granta 159: What Do You See?
Naming
‘I have started to see that nothing is itself’
A poem by Jason Allen-Paisant from Granta 154: I’ve Been Away for a While.
