Penny Blackburn lives in the North East of England. She has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including online in Atrium, Riggwelter and Phare and in print with Poetry Society News, Fragmented Voices and Fly on the Wall. Her collection from Yaffle Press is now available.
Luxury
To snip the skein of threads
that twist our lives. Cut out
your face from memory’s pictures.
See the roughness of your body,
your thinning hair and tired eyes
without the kindly filter
of shared time. Step outside
the bubble of our vows, shift
history to cancel out lust’s spell.
De-clutter myself of family,
convenience and duty. Become
a stranger to everything I’ve been.
Yet still to taste, as sharp
and rich as best plum butter,
the lingering love of you
overwhelming across my tongue.