A jackdaw’s crumb falls from the chimney
landing on the boards at our feet.
Meanwhile, a leaf’s skeleton dries
as the house emits tectonic groans
and rooms that lie on the peripheries
are left to die in the cold.

Outside, bedouin sheep migrate
trailing arteries in the grass;
the dog sits like a used mop in the yard
waiting for the coal to arrive,
while through gales and broken yells,
finally, the cattle come home.

*

‘October’ is taken from Handling, Jack’s first collection, out now with Two Rivers Press.

Jack reads at our Landfill launch event in Bristol tonight. Advance tickets are no longer available, but a very limited number of £20 tickets will be available on the door on a first come, first serve basis. Full  lineup details here.