Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ruth Padel

THE PHOENIX

THE PHOENIX

THE PHOENIX

Her once-red head locked
In a tank of steam.
        Her face, foxing down into nothing
Saying “All my beauty’s gone.”
She’s holding on

To your wrist, your bare arm,
Through a shock hedge of wiring, spliced
        Every which way to intestines
And rationing herself to Seven Up
(Plus morphine) on the rocks.

So cold, under the striplight
Night after night
        Through all the carry-ons:
The bubble-cloud of rosaries,
The small-hours foraging for ice

In the hospital kitchen. But so proud
Of this big cuckoo she
        Brought into the world, as you
Sang with her, day after glary day,
All the words of all the Jim Reeves songs

Or any you rustled up between you,
Anything anyone there could sing about –
        “Tipperary”, “Star of the Sea” –
To ease that inward
Journey, launch her out.
Close

THE PHOENIX

Her once-red head locked
In a tank of steam.
        Her face, foxing down into nothing
Saying “All my beauty’s gone.”
She’s holding on

To your wrist, your bare arm,
Through a shock hedge of wiring, spliced
        Every which way to intestines
And rationing herself to Seven Up
(Plus morphine) on the rocks.

So cold, under the striplight
Night after night
        Through all the carry-ons:
The bubble-cloud of rosaries,
The small-hours foraging for ice

In the hospital kitchen. But so proud
Of this big cuckoo she
        Brought into the world, as you
Sang with her, day after glary day,
All the words of all the Jim Reeves songs

Or any you rustled up between you,
Anything anyone there could sing about –
        “Tipperary”, “Star of the Sea” –
To ease that inward
Journey, launch her out.

THE PHOENIX

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère