I see him at an acute angle
on the edge of the chair
hands above his knees,
as if it’s all happening
under the linoleum.
Purple patches march
on his once sinewy arms,
each breath vying
with the pendulum
out of sync with new time.
I stack delph on the drainer,
talk of weather, neighbours,
what the politicos are doing
to his occasional ‘aye’.
Suds swirl in the sink
while real words
are sucked down the drain.
Marie Studer is widely published in journals and anthologies. She is a past winner in the Trócaire/Poetry Ireland and Bangor Ekphrastic competitions and highly commended in both the Francis Ledwidge and the Desmond O’Grady International competitions. Her debut collection, Real Words was published by Revival Press, 2023.
More work by Marie Studer
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