A poem by Will Burns

The carcass bobbed,
the open mouth
beating the reservoir wall.

Valentine watched
the inertia of the lifeless
trunk, stretched and pale,

falling and rising in the slime.
The handle of his drop
net clenched in his fist.

Later on, he will peer
into the bottom of his bucket
and see his catch of crayfish

crawling over and across
each other like so much
life and so much death.

Will will be reading poetry alongside John Barlow, on the Caught by the River & Faber Social curated Estuary stage at Festival Number 6, on 16 September.

Happy Birthday Will!