Accessibility Tools

  • Content scaling 100%
  • Font size 100%
  • Line height 100%
  • Letter spacing 100%

2010 ABR Poetry Prize shortlist

by
April 2010, no. 320

2010 ABR Poetry Prize shortlist

by
April 2010, no. 320

Taken as Required

by Ynes Sanz

An age ago, ill-matched,
ignorant but willing,
we set the rules.
‘Step by Step’, we said. ‘No Bullshit.’
Today, thinking of something else
I stumbled across the grey metal bracelet
you looped over that stick of a wrist
where your thin blood stained the skin
to resemble an antique map or a bad tattoo
(like the one they inked on for that photo shoot in the ’50s).

You May Also Like

Comment (1)

  • I'm only just getting into poetry, having never got it
    at school. Reading this poem gave me visions as stories of substance. I think of artists such as Leonard Cohen - ah, Various Positions.

    When you're force-fed classics as a kid, you're inclined to regurgitate them with a
    bitter
    bitter
    taste
    'cause you hate school and "home" and teachers 'n all.

    So thank you, Anthony Lawrence, for letting me see
    what is from what is not.

    That chalk-dust in its wake, I'm seeing it
    still.
    Posted by Noeleen
    29 July 2020

Leave a comment

If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.

If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.

Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.