Getting Up
At the entrance to my dream I met the author.
I had no time to tell
if he was pleased with his creation.
He ran from it like hell
with his old coat, his battered Leica.
I think he wished me well.
Last, the Bookcase
The books of the dead
should not be read.
They hold their scent like old clothes.
The books of the dead
should be given away
to strangers or charity shelves.
The books of the dead
do not understand
a siren is death,
that tears are a wife.
The books of the dead
are crackling with life.
– Alison Brackenbury (in the TLS)