We have not inhaled deeply In the longest time Obsessed with our breath Vacuum packed potential inflammation Sealed when the short black procession Passes
Category: Uncategorized
Lentil and Stone Radio Love
Every Wednesday a thoughtful, glorious show airs out of Boston’s WMBR: Lentil and Stone. Hosted by Valentine Chamorro, David Colbus and Diana Rodon, Lentil and Stone is a poetry show with a focus on the theme of ‘home’. We pre-recorded on Zoom, and I am the privileged first at-large guest, bridging the Atlantic with them in Brighton, UK. Seagulls, sheep and modern parenting pressures were topics of conversation and I read some poems, too. You can catch our episode here and while you’re there it’s definitely worth browsing WMBR’s extensive back catalogue of shows for treasures, curios and the obscurios (wasn’t a word, but I’ve written it now).
Instagram: @lentilandstone
Postnatal, Pre-shower
Blood in greasy hair
Headache
Bruised nose
Sore throat
Stinky armpits
Blood on chest
Swollen breasts
Sore nipples
Cluster-feeding newborn (3.5kg)
Enflamed rib cartilage
Friction burns on elbows
Swollen abdomen
Extensive bruising on forearms, wrists, backs of hands and knuckles
Swollen hand
Swollen knuckles
Six cannula entry points
Extensive stretch marks on lower abdomen
Clicking pelvis
Coccydynia
Blood crusted pubic hair
Catheter inserted
750 ml of blood loss in 30 seconds
Swollen labia
Initially incomplete placenta
Lochia
Retracting uterus
Stitched episiotomy on right hand side
Stretch marks on upper thighs
Urine covered legs
Blood covered legs
Bruising on legs
Muscle fatigue in legs
Friction burns on knees
Bruising on tops of feet
This poem was the final poem I read at the BSMS Poetry in Medicine event (20th November). It’s one of a growing group of poems I intend to make into a large project. Hopefully, I can say more about it soon!
Tattoo For My Brother
This is a tattoo I designed for my brother. It’s torso-sized (A3 paper) and took a while. This drawing for me is particularly special because it incorporates so much of my brother’s life and I felt that in drawing it I got to know him a lot better. We spent time together discussing how the design would take shape and what he felt was important to include. My favourite part is in the bottom right-hand corner – the intertwined thistle and rose (the national flowers of Scotland and England).
The Seagull
The seagull watches
From the window ledge
Frowns through white
Irises that slid from their
Baby black is not a colour
but a political stance
Framing resistance
Against the lazy
Guzzler of rubbish
Who squawks the loudest
