A K Blakemore

Side by side

each caress

at times i felt my perceived
essential
moral turpitude so strongly i
derived a sort of satisfaction from obedience to the most quotidian
elements of the social contract –
responsibly disposing of used-up cigarettes –
moving only when the traffic halted at a red light or designated crossing –

all i want
is the simple ending.
walk temperate
behind me
monkish

cut my throat
between willows
their conspicuous stipules
each caress

my voice falling down the refuse chute
if my body cannot fit –

A K Blakemore

(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1991)

Brutal and tender, earnest, erotic and impetuous, A.K. Blakemore’s poetry has earned her a following and a fierce reputation. With themes of youth, sex, drugs, drink, violence, womanhood and intimacy, her writing is direct and defiant. While her techniques and interests could group her in with other writers of the post-internet age, her style is all her own and already unmistakable.