Paul Maddern
Counterpoint
—after Conor O’Callaghan
Place something on the windowsill
before we get to swallows in the evening sky,
something between you and the sovereignty of air:
week-old roses, silver-framed relations,
or an old milk jug, chipped Cornish ware.
You choose, but it should be noted
as you’re opening the mail, look up,
and make a little from the fact it’s framed
by more than fabric: hand-washed nets become
the history of lace as it pertains to family,
or in that vein, the fading luxuries of velvets.
And as the swallows flit, of course like memories,
here you’ll neatly segue to your close,
recall old dialogues, spot the stranger passing.
before we get to swallows in the evening sky,
something between you and the sovereignty of air:
week-old roses, silver-framed relations,
or an old milk jug, chipped Cornish ware.
You choose, but it should be noted
as you’re opening the mail, look up,
and make a little from the fact it’s framed
by more than fabric: hand-washed nets become
the history of lace as it pertains to family,
or in that vein, the fading luxuries of velvets.
And as the swallows flit, of course like memories,
here you’ll neatly segue to your close,
recall old dialogues, spot the stranger passing.
Paul Maddern was born in Bermuda and now lives in Co. Down. His work has appeared in various journals and anthologies and he’s working towards a first collection.
Page(s) 56
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