Caught by the River

The Fragile: a poem by Meryl Pugh

22nd February 2018

Between moored hulls that knock together,

a cormorant: diving. It surfaces, flips under,

surfaces again. The opaque water

slaps the dockside, hides the cable ends.

 

Meanwhile, the city wakes up: car horn, shop shutters.

The children devise their Knock-Down Ginger, their Bulrush.

They grin in the street at anyone. Around them

the buildings fade out, rising from shadow to nothing.

 

*

 

Extracted from Meryl Pugh’s debut collection Natural Phenomena, published today by Penned in the Margins.

We have three copies of the book to give away on tomorrow’s newsletter –  make sure you’re subscribed before 11am Friday for the chance to win.

The author will launch Natural Phenomena in a special outdoor event at the Nomadic Community Gardens, a hidden enclave of green in a former derelict site off Brick Lane in London, on 1 March. For free entry RSVP to james@pennedinthemargins.co.uk.