Welcome
Once I was remembered
limbs composed
and my spirit strong
I threw off the bandages
and travelled west
through the Latin Quarter
past Pantheon, Sorbonne
down Rue Saint Jacques
to the cold river
I was to cross.
I had the names
so my mouth was opened
by the attendants
to repeat the spells
that let me pass
to enter Notre Dame
despite the crowds
pressing for admittance
and armed police
examining bags.
The place of the dead
was heaving, impatient
souls straining to gain
feathered judgement
and trick the beast
that loitered by the altar
grinning and smug
as immortals are
knowing most will
fall into its jaws
and be given to the Seine
to start the long slog
back to the hotel
to the third floor room
that sees such service
but not me this time
my turn at last
to leave the luggage
for the concierge, welcome
on the other side.
Page(s) 34-35
magazine list
- Features
- zines
- 10th Muse
- 14
- Acumen
- Agenda
- Ambit
- Angel Exhaust
- ARTEMISpoetry
- Atlas
- Blithe Spirit
- Borderlines
- Brando's hat
- Brittle Star
- Candelabrum
- Cannon's Mouth, The
- Chroma
- Coffee House, The
- Dream Catcher
- Equinox
- Erbacce
- Fabric
- Fire
- Floating Bear, The
- French Literary Review, The
- Frogmore Papers, The
- Global Tapestry
- Grosseteste Review
- Homeless Diamonds
- Interpreter's House, The
- Iota
- Journal, The
- Lamport Court
- London Magazine, The
- Magma
- Matchbox
- Matter
- Modern Poetry in Translation
- Monkey Kettle
- Moodswing
- Neon Highway
- New Welsh Review
- North, The
- Oasis
- Obsessed with pipework
- Orbis
- Oxford Poetry
- Painted, spoken
- Paper, The
- Pen Pusher Magazine
- Poetry Cornwall
- Poetry London
- Poetry London (1951)
- Poetry Nation
- Poetry Review, The
- Poetry Salzburg Review
- Poetry Scotland
- Poetry Wales
- Private Tutor
- Purple Patch
- Quarto
- Rain Dog
- Reach Poetry
- Review, The
- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
- Seventh Quarry, The
- Shearsman
- Smiths Knoll
- Smoke
- South
- Staple
- Strange Faeces
- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
- Tolling Elves
- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The