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Advice I Struggle to Follow by Sue Finch

Imagine them naked.


Imagine how long I would spend 

seeking out the detail –

colour of belly compared with colour of hands,

that contrast of contours.


Oh the thoughts, the questions.


How many have seen this body?

Who has held it?

Is there a part that has never been touched 

by the lips of a lover 

or another’s tongue?


I’d want to be looking for the smoothest parts,

seeking constellations of moles,

scars.


I’d be wondering if this or that neck

smells of nutmeg, salt or soap.

Or Double Gloucester like my old cat’s paws.


I would forget my poem

in the worry of unwashed bodies

on leather seats

and start inventing rules

about audiences needing to shower

(properly)

before entering the auditorium.


---


Sue Finch lives with her wife in North Wales. She likes all kinds of coasts, peculiar things and the scent of ice-cream freezers. Her first collection, ‘Magnifying Glass’, was published in Autumn 2020 with @BlackEyesPubUK. You can follow her on twitter @soopoftheday

Comments

  1. Unknown11 January 2022 at 13:43

    The descriptive and sensual language brings the experience of reading this poem to life. It also made me chuckle as I imagined cats paws smelling like Double Gloucester cheese!

    ReplyDelete

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