drinking the River Wye and becoming pollution by Jennie Howitt

i.)

rigid line of tangle

I lose you

and gain you

river never stilling

to be found

ii.)

river in the mouth:

lips curl as a spout

before river

teeth sink onto lips

in the river

jaw opens to a slight

after river

iii.)

there is sweat

on my bed

river hastening

through skin

I drank the river

it made me sick

the river drank me

I made it sicker

iv.)

can I leave the river

once I have entered?

every stone thrown in

sinks and stays –

I slap the surface

to concentric hand

and after several cycles

the slap returns

and marks me red

v.)

river in rock shore

lowers and rises

slow breathing

before hastening –

men in boats

force down stream

get stuck on a ridge

whilst we rest in a float

letting sway pulse over

river wye aorta

pumps to a heap

vi.)

river inside me

stops its spread

after mapping walls

already mapped

purses lips to a shut

then opens to an O –

today the river doesn’t flow –

today the river

takes your waste

and spits it back

in your face

_____________

Jennie Howitt is a writer and performer from Shropshire. She makes artist's books, poem objects, and soundscapes, that have been shown in various exhibitions and symposiums. She has been widely published in journals and has won and been commended in various Poetry Society competitions.