stale fish
smoke
sewage, shoes without laces
worn carpet
he lives like this
later
when his organs have failed
he will smell of acacia blossom
the thought sustains him
Catherine Edmunds is a poet/novelist and illustrator from North East England whose literary style can be encapsulated in the title of her solo poetry collection, ‘wormwood, earth and honey,’ and whose artwork veers between delicate portraiture, exploding dogs and decomposing toads. Her second novel, ‘Small Poisons,’ described as ‘The contemporary novel for Midsummer Night’s Dreamers,’ is now available from Circaidy Gregory Press.
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Posted on January 26, 2010 in Literary
16 Responses to “STENCH OF LIFE • by Catherine Edmunds”
Comments
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January 26th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Superb stuff!
January 26th, 2010 at 7:17 am
The third line throws me, the two things don’t appear to be related, and it is the only line where two things are paired.
Otherwise, good poem.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Elegant as always, Catherine. I wonder what I will smell like afterwards: curry? oranges? rose water? It comforts me to think I might smell like food…
~bint
January 26th, 2010 at 8:41 am
Excellent.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:12 am
Very evocative poem, Particualrly liked the final line.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:07 am
I like that; made me smile.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I love this and give it a 5-star rating, even though the order of the things in the first stanza could be changed around, building from bad to worse. As it is, it goes from bad to horrible to not so bad at all.
January 26th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Evocative! I agree some wordsmithing on the front end, but ***** from me. It just makes me go hmmmm…
January 26th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
i checked my armpits after this one… ahhh, sustanance. well done, cathy!
January 26th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
What a sad tale
Ones life capsulated
Waiting for death
And release from
aloneness
4 ****
January 26th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Quietly disturbing yet satisfying in a strange sort of way. Enjoyed!
January 26th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
As splendidly off-kilter as ever, Cathy. Excellent stuff.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Superb! Not a word more and layered to perfection!
January 27th, 2010 at 2:08 am
Many thanks to you all for such great comments and ratings. Appreciated!
January 27th, 2010 at 2:25 am
An exquisite poem.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Good poems like this one sustains me.