The Frock Enquiry and The Ruin

In the last couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of working on two poetry pamphlets - one written by Susie Campbell (The Frock Enquiry), the other by JT Welsch (The Ruin) both edited by Claire Trévien of the Annexe Magazine.

I always enjoyed creating books or pamphlets from scratch, so having the opportunity to do the typesetting, cover design, printing, stitching and trimming the final booklet was a great fun. But also hard work.

I'm pleased with the result and even more that both the authors and editor are happy with it too.

I was really moved and impressed by the extra poem Susie wrote for me as a thank you for my work :-)

Get stuffed

God is gorgeous
     reads an umbrella
          in rainy Oxford afternoon

bald trees advertising the
     half-term desertedness

museum is jam-packed
     stuffed
fox and hyena
     gently reminding us of
what we might also do

God is godlike
no more or less

Puppy-like

I wish I could have been

     a virtuoso pianist

          at my 30th birthday

I wish I could have celebrated

     and eaten more sugar

I like sugar

     they say it's bad for you

          or your teeth

            c a r b o h y d r a t e s

they fear them in Norway

     a friend told me

    some fear gluten

         and fat

              and dairy

                   and tooth fairy probably too

people like fear

     they treat it nicely

          dress it well in winter

               let it get tanned in summer

fear is like a grateful puppy

     always stays with you

          never grows old or impotent

               never loses its hair or gets Alzheimer's 

I wonder if Alzheimer had a dog

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