Three large dogs gather over northern Deptford,
side by side, odd steps, up and down, skew-whiff,
a furry staircase heavily, panting.
They go still then, seemingly lying on the air,
expressionless. They neither bite nor growl.
And then they start to disintegrate.
One head
just goes, leaving the neck open, terminal.
Front paw pairs shatter as if they’re missile hit.
A neck bends like a vacuum cleaner tube
drawing on dust and cloud through severing skin;
shoulders follow it down, distorting too,
while the still-connected skull hangs below,
each jaw lax and separate; the teeth glitter
as they wobble in indirect sunlight.
And finger tips we cannot see pluck eyes.
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collaborative visual work:-
http://www.poetrybeyondtext.org/upton-begbie.html
http://www.poetrybeyondtext.org/begbie-upton.html
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Lawrence Upton
AHRC Creative Research Fellow
Dept of Music
Goldsmiths, University of London
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