sex and love with the soon-to-be accountant

REFLECTIONS: TO RELY ON IN HIS NEW JOB

sets of suits and clear
surfaces, pairs of socks in black
and black, vehicular ease, swivel
chairs, wrapped
sandwiches and selfies secure
and hairless, you may be sure of it,
card’s slide out,
regular payment, her legs on screens
duplicated
you look good in black and white

WEAPONS: WITH WHICH SHE THREATENS HIM

her tongue, kissing him all over,
hands on his lovely long hands, his own
beautiful hands hurt him, her purple-coloured
self that goes and grows

with this mirrored body
I just find you attractive

get the payment, slide the card in,
black lingerie and – depend on it –
bronzer, no hair, wrapped
sandwich, swivel chair, socks,
suit, surface. She’s gone.
No picture to play;
wiped memory.

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what young india wants

money, the unauthorised
biography, mad money
adventure, how you can learn
from apple and make money.
the seven secrets
of leadership, how google works, think

big: be positive and brave
to achieve your dreams
                                   < ask not
for money, but for lakshmi >

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Phoebe Power received an Eric Gregory Award in 2012 and in 2014 a Northern Writers’ Award to work on her first collection. Her poems have appeared in journals including POEM, Magma and Cake and she was Apprentice Poet-in-Residence at last year’s Ilkley Literature Festival.