2 poems by Tamsyn Challenger

Hearing a pigeon crunch on a rail

Things that are better than you:

a glass dildo

my heart

drinking wine in fireflies

my magic B positive blood

Ro, Ro, Ro my boat along to the Royal Free

The sea between my thighs

my youthful face

a tingle away from touch

an unfinished painting

gooseflesh into warmth

a weird coloured fleck in an iris

wind you can lean on

an empty road on a long car ride

tasting gold

my untameable pumping B positive heart

my unfathomably youthful ageing face

my wilful desire on hearing that pigeon

N. B. ‘Ro is a rare subtype of blood containing a particular combination

of genes. Only 3% of donors have the Ro subtype.’ (NHS blood and

transplant pamphlet)

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Tamsyn Challenger is a multi-disciplinary artist. Her work has featured in the Top 5 Guardian Exhibitions list twice. Her documentary ‘My Male Muse’ received Radio 4’s ‘Pick of the Year’. She’s an associate artist at Beaconsfield Gallery, Vauxhall. Her poem film, ’Fret’ is a ‘Women in Word’ lit fest official selection 2024.

These poems were chosen by Guest Editor HLR.