Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

under stairs a space door
bulges a little you’d
think warped with damp in

fact is where spider lives
size of a Shetland pony
must be cramped doesn’t

bother me don’t bother him
saves me tidying rusty
junk was in the space

can’t be many flies in there
in time will starve will
turn to empty husk better

leave having a look another
month or some just in case
just in case better leave

this house find some other
place I know I know keep
putting off even doing that

escape procrastination is
one long disgrace but after
all at least I know as long

as I stay here no nosy new
owner can go up in my loft
space disturb my lovely

lost one in her mummy case
one too stupid to believe
those loving words now she’d

be mine forever too stupid
not to know better than to
threaten to go sick of how

I was nothing but a do-nothing
disgrace dealing with that
threat at least didn’t put off

surely doing one thing
right in a lifetime is quite
enough let alone hassle expense

of getting repro genuine-look
Cleopatra-face effect one she
surely deserved the best home

from the posh interior decor
place drained me out left me
drained for life look fine look

whole in facing mirror but
inside just a husk yes best
leave well alone as above so

below what Hermes Trismegistus
said forever right forever
true all three of us in our

proper place if I should want
to get fancy if I had someone
to trust to tell things to

would say a sort of Holy Trinity
in fact be grateful your saviour’s
now and with luck forever here