Eamer O'Keeffe
Hell's Angel
Dear Father, I’m sorry you’ve injured yourself
crashing into a car. Have you ever thought
of wearing your glasses or taking your hearing
aid out of the drawer? I’m sure that at eighty-
seven, it may be quite natural
to need these things. I remember your dad
drove a Model T at ninety-five;
and his pennyfarthing didn’t have brakes -
like your bicycle. At least your bones
have remained intact, though your thick skin
may need re-grafting. The bruises will heal.
Do you really need to give your possessions
away again? All of your neighbours
have seen you fly down these steep hills,
half-blind as you are. I think you’ve wanted
to die many times - in the air, in the sea,
or bicycle saddle, refusing to grow
old, grow up, or to compromise.
You don’t like me much. It’s easier
to accept that now. Writing brings me
closer to you. I hope you can feel this.
crashing into a car. Have you ever thought
of wearing your glasses or taking your hearing
aid out of the drawer? I’m sure that at eighty-
seven, it may be quite natural
to need these things. I remember your dad
drove a Model T at ninety-five;
and his pennyfarthing didn’t have brakes -
like your bicycle. At least your bones
have remained intact, though your thick skin
may need re-grafting. The bruises will heal.
Do you really need to give your possessions
away again? All of your neighbours
have seen you fly down these steep hills,
half-blind as you are. I think you’ve wanted
to die many times - in the air, in the sea,
or bicycle saddle, refusing to grow
old, grow up, or to compromise.
You don’t like me much. It’s easier
to accept that now. Writing brings me
closer to you. I hope you can feel this.
Page(s) 45
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