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The Uninvited - Elaine Ewart Responds to Suzanne Woolcott’s Exhibition

The Uninvited

I know you never liked me
But I’ve come to your party anyway.
Don’t look so shocked:I found it on Facebook.
(You should learn how to use your privacy settings.)
Dumb-dumb.  Don’t call for your mummy.
She’s out, remember?
Just let me in.

Don’t you like my dress?  I thought
Purple went well with my pallor.
And my boa – yes, you did
See it move.  That’s the joke, you see:
The scarf’s a real snake.  Snake?  Boa?  Geddit?
Oh, never mind.

And this?  Don’t worry about
The skull and crossbones on my
Black balloon.  It’s not a threat:
Just a sign I have to carry, to show
I’m an outlaw to the living,
That the rules don’t apply to me,
That I have nothing to lose:
In pass the parcel bomb;
Electrical chairs; hide and
Stay lost.  Could be fun, yeah?

Aren’t you going to admire my hair?

So silky, inky now, down to my bum.
It’s come up lovely from how you saw it last,
From above, twisting and rising like weed
As I sank.

I know it was an accident.
I saw what you wrote
On my memorial wall.
I thought, if you’re sorry,
You wouldn’t mind if I came tonight.Don’t be scared.
Happy birthday.

Elaine Ewart, Fenland Poet Laureate.

Posted on Wednesday, July 4th, 2012. RSS 2.0

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