stilted words
stillborn
slide out
from torn
slash flesh
blood red
lipstick mouth
spews out
bloodless ugly triplets
‘I / love / you’
I choose ‘I’
not love
not you
not seeing eye to eye
but
fighting tooth for tooth
forebears cry out
they see
everything
from top
of swaying
family tree
daant ke lie daant
don’t lie
you can’t
kill
home truths
casual casualties
of the war
on lazy blah blah
la la filler
fork tongue babies
bawl
and cling
looking
for
attention
in mutual mirror
of maternity
but no reflection
no skin to skin
edorphins
d.o.a. lies
betray panic
in tragic eyes
unbonded
bound to die
glaring descriptions
contractions numbed
outgunned
outnumbered
by oxytocin buzz
unhappy birthday
can’t decide
word to the wise
word of caution
is to think but not say
a word abortion?
head spins
is wordicide
a deadly sin?
straight seer eyes
oscillate
queer vacillations
prophesise
prejudice cures
kids queue at school
for tolerance vaccinations
looking ahead
i nurture two rejections
instead
as adopted kin
full blood affections
full blown
love
no fear
of things unknown
goodnight kisses
prayers to gods
just futile wishes
your unwise sayings
spurt and stray
fallen
on barren ground
unkind words thrown away
little girls lost
wandered by mistake
shame faced
to god-forsaken place
then found
as vanished little boys
i banish you now
catch and cast you out
i name my mixy fluid twins
a beautiful heretic monarchy
Kueen and Qing
let them wanna
be
anarchy in your
queer fear UK
zir Kueen Solitude
and
hir Qing Sorrow
dub myself
Oddfather Sanctuary
we count our blessings
no shepherd lord
our souls to keep
we count
endless
godless
sheep
a heathen shepherdess
lullaby luhl-uh-bahy
lulls us
to sleepy
pagan sleep
sleep Solitude
sleep Sorrow
safe in promise
of Sanctuary tomorrow.

 

Iain Fraser is from the middle of nowhere in the far North of Scotland. Lives near London. He worked supporting vulnerable children and young people for 30 years. He is writing his first novel which is about a child who uses magical thinking to deal with extreme trauma. The book focuses on survival not suffering. He now works as a dogwalker and writes short fiction and poetry while enjoying the solitude and all weathers. He is a lucky man. He is unpublished.

Cover art credit: Iain Smith