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Two Poems By: Crispin Best
Karl Smith , December 8th, 2013 12:18

New writing continues in rude health this week with London-based poet and writer Crispin Best

Crispin Best has lived in Manchester, Cambridge and Tokyo, but now lives back in London, next door to the house where he grew up. Some of his work, which mostly shows up on the internet, is listed here: www.crispinbest.com.



gently

we are a long time

                                                                                                          you say

the sky is pale from

                                                                                                          the end of

itself

and
gently

one day i want a warm balcony
to                                                                                                        fall asleep on
with you

that’s all
                                                                                                           but

we got old

something knocked down                                                                  the low brick wall
where we sat
where you said

take life by the horns
    take life by the xylophones
       take life by the bagpipes
          take life by the clarinets
             take life by the trumpets
                take life by the harmonicas
                   take life by the harps
                     take life by the bassoons
                       take life by the drum machines
                         take life by the sousaphones
                            take life by the theremins
                               take life by the hurdy gurdys
                                  take life by the nose flutes
                                       take life by the pipe organs
                                           take life by the synths
                                              take life by the ukuleles
                                                 take life by the trombones
                                                    take life by the harpsichords
                                                       take life by the keytars
                                                          take life by the kettle drums
                                                            those things                         mean business

i am careful

i agree that we are
a long time
but gently
and
                                                                                                          that is the
                                                                                                          most


anyway

i am riding lifts on my 30th birthday

somewhere you are all of my direct messages and
a little drunk with you on a train would be nice
anyway they washed the floor of the museum
so my footprint is everywhere on my 30th birthday
and my shoe bottoms must be very beautiful

somewhere i am a kite when you slam me into the sand

still
anyway i am sweating in the museum lonely
somewhere i am sweating not touching butterflies in the
enclosure too
place your animal parts close by
on my 30th birthday
feel free

anyway this unshrinkable distance between us
still
anyway your knees in the morning

somewhere i am sweating quietly learning how to pick up a butterfly
on my 30th birthday
after i nearly step on a butterfly in the enclosure too
there are chrysalises with us here
touch my chest in my imagination

anyway take off your belt with me
on my 30th birthday

still
somewhere i am sweating watching the pattern of your bra
complicate the front of your blouse

never stop