Christine Murray

Most common moods

Most common topics

Poems

SadChristine Murray

Sequins

red on gold under gold the red thread will tie in the sequin the dress will transform from the funerary gown of soft cloth metal pearl mother-of-pearl the peacock sequins emphasise the scar : where it was cradled in soft cloth it shifts with light it now shifts with light a battle armour with shiny metal frilling a mail-coat an armoured dress the metal frill catches and disperses light from embonpoint to point of candlelight it is no dust no accretion of dust occurs in the music of fabric flame does not show yellow in blue blue glass sequin it : it hides the wound sequin it: with the red thread sequin it : the loosed skein tack it in stitch on stitch and
ContemplativeChristine Murray

Hook 1

a hook for an eye this ribbon for a slip there’s a pigeon in the pot and tree makes the room your foot on the boards your head in the sky no mind if your stockings snag are splinter-caught the red thread frayed or snag walk now on swollen feet on feet that are bound-in with red and orange with stocking threads these can be mended these can be made whole again

The first poems in full

Read them hereShow fewer poems

Hook 4

the feather-hook is a seed spiralling in the breeze, a false signal it mocks the mayhem of the caught moth down to its nub stone

its plane is a shell network of dried skin, veined even


 it has a spine of sorts it mocks the mayhem of the caught moth down to its nub stone

Hunger

the ragged bird panics dead flies from the window nets it claws the glass

it is tearing at petrified flies for its meat it is caught in their weaving.

A Tale

there is a huge gray bird out on the roof he wants to eat my heart out the daisies are asleep no-one knows. I chased a galloping lamb up the road remember the day it got away and galloped up the road and was gone ?

there is a huge gray bird on the roof outside he wants to eat out my heart the daisies are asleep and no-one knows. I chased a galloping lamb up the road remember the day it escaped the butcher’s van and galloped up the road.

What Is Beneath?

a scrap of satin - some wood what is beneath the wood ? dirt : the earth it is cold

is it alive ? it contains the stir of flowers it contains the whispering grass

and above it all ? some turf the blue sky

what are you listening to ? my dark blood the heart plays a tattoo beneath this pale linen this wool-stuff

and ? it listens for the stir of flowers it hears the grass whisper.

Learn Poems app

Pick a short Murray poem and learn it today.

Step-by-step learning, voice recordings you can share, and review reminders.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play