"on suicide" and "on civil war" by Alasdair Paterson

Two more short poems from Alasdair Paterson's new collection:

on suicide

almost his

last thing

that weekend

planting out bulbs

footnotes for the spring

on civil war

following inundation infestation invasion

measure countermeasure and scorched earth

crops officially pitiful and stores covertly emptied

here is an announcement from the ministry

let them eat roots

thank you

here is an announcement from the military

I wouldn't dig

just there

if I were you

Alasdair Paterson

On the Governing of Empires (Shearsman, 2010)

You can order On the Governing of Empires directly from the publisher or from The Book Depository with free worldwide delivery.

"On Heresy" by Alasdair Paterson

on heresy

stars come solitaries first

then a host like

pilgrims no crusaders

this rock that bleached

all day in the sun

still isn't white enough

do you prefer

the desert places or

the cities of the plain

I like best the view

of lights from up here

a breath of rosemary

perfection in the air

but the bridge is the devil's

Alasdair Paterson

the opening poem of On the Governing of Empires (Shearsman, 2010)

You can order On the Governing of Empires directly from the publisher or from The Book Depository with free worldwide delivery.