By H.K.G. Lowery
Editor's Note: Due to the formatting of this poem, it is best enjoyed on desktop.
lamplight,
blurred
on ruby tiles; black night, I
stirred vegetable soup,
& sprinkled
salt & pepper
from fingers
into kale, carrot, butter,
garlic, onion, lentils
celery –
the cap pried,
green glass,
Heineken Zero
dipping sourdough
alone; eyes
puffed & red & swelling
later, the kettle
settles
for green tea & I wonder
when this will all be over
H. K. G. Lowery is a writer & musician from Gateshead (United Kingdom). He gained a Distinction in his Masters degree in Creative Writing from Graduate College, Lancaster University, where he worked with Paul Muldoon, Paul Farley & Terry Eagleton. The Department of English Literature & Creative Writing awarded him with the 2021/2022 Portfolio Prize for his work which received the highest mark in the faculty. Lowery has been shortlisted for The Bedford International Award & The Terry Kelly Poetry Prize, & longlisted for The Fiction Factory Flash Competition. His publications include: An Enquiry into the Delight of Existence and the Sublime (Austin Macauley Publishers, 2020), Being and Becoming (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2021), Death, And Other Angels (Errant, 2022), 9:45 Drama (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2022) & Moonflowers (Aurum Journal, 2023). With his work in over 25 international publications, Lowery has recently been published in: Poetry Salzburg, Amsterdam Quarterly & The Ofi Press. He is also a devoted Newcastle United supporter, & likes tigers & apple juice. You can find him on Instagram.