Poem
Andrew McMillan
a gift
a gift
a gift
for the ones I never touched for the oneswho wanted to watch films who wanted
to talk who wanted silence and said I
talked too much for the one I saw
weeks after laughing for the one who served
me coffee and didn’t recognise my hands
for the optimistic ones who write
their names on toilet walls the ones
I never called for the ones I called
who didn’t answer who left our love
suspended from the ceiling hooks
of that meatmarket city for the ones
who left and settled down the ones who wanted
knowledge were curious who gained something
from each encounter used each other
who took what they needed for everyone
they hurt who felt burned out the ones who
didn’t realise everyone was burning
the ones who never slept who died nightly
the ones who said they’d kill for it for all
of them a gift we were young we only had our bodies
© 2015, Andrew McMillan
From: physical
Publisher: Jonathan Cape, London
From: physical
Publisher: Jonathan Cape, London
Andrew McMillan
(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1988)
Andrew McMillan is one of a brilliant generation of young British poets in their twenties, and also one of a growing number of British LGBT poets. His work has been called “electrifyingly fresh and lyrical” (David Morley) and “a glorious, vivid exploration of the body” (Michael Symmons Roberts). His first collection, Physical, was Poetry Book Society Recommendation for Autumn 2015, was shortlis...
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a gift
for the ones I never touched for the oneswho wanted to watch films who wanted
to talk who wanted silence and said I
talked too much for the one I saw
weeks after laughing for the one who served
me coffee and didn’t recognise my hands
for the optimistic ones who write
their names on toilet walls the ones
I never called for the ones I called
who didn’t answer who left our love
suspended from the ceiling hooks
of that meatmarket city for the ones
who left and settled down the ones who wanted
knowledge were curious who gained something
from each encounter used each other
who took what they needed for everyone
they hurt who felt burned out the ones who
didn’t realise everyone was burning
the ones who never slept who died nightly
the ones who said they’d kill for it for all
of them a gift we were young we only had our bodies
From: physical
a gift
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