Steve Spence
AN EXCHANGE OF DATA
Our community
is in crisis but
there is nothing
in this conduct
which is unlawful.
How about we
split the difference?
Aquatic insects
are also endangered
and where we have
data the decline is
clear. “If any hearing
loss is detected your
specialist will explain
causes and consequences”,
she said. We need to
know how to operate
underwater and in
any case when we
brought the box to
the surface nobody
knew what was inside.
“I can’t say”, he said,
“it’s fishing and they
like their secrets.”
There was no gold
but the box was
full of banknotes.
As autumn sets in
seeds and nuts
ripen and are ready
to eat. It suddenly
came to him that
he knew exactly
the right person to
ask. “You’re right,
there are no fish
here”, she said.
A weak weather
spot is producing
some rain and
drizzle.
WALKING AWAY
It took a long
time for life
to reach this
stage. Are we
seeing the green
shoots of
opportunity
or are we
heading into
a brick wall?
“It’s unusual
for a pistol to
have such velocity,
more like a rifle”.
he said. Did you
know that the
komodo dragon
has a double
penis? Here we
have a fish corridor
which has been
constructed to
mimic the rapids.
Is the age of
acquisition over?
Have you ever
had to handle
a bat that has
gone off course?
Last year at this
time it was the
beast from the
east but now
it’s bees and
butterflies.
May we see
your licence
please?
ANOTHER TWIST OF FATE
“I like Claudius”, she said. The polls of course
are mixed but we need to put prevention at
the forefront of everything we do. “I did it my
way”, she said. How did it all crumble so quickly?
Others are drawn by duty but her plans for murder
remained firm. There doesn’t seem to be an emerging
pattern here yet the reign of Nero has begun. Little
and often makes the fish compete. There are a lot
of flies in the air tonight and they are dropping on
the water. Should we be surprised that conspiracy
theories are so embedded in the way we see the world?
What are your literary influences? If you’re on the
losing side you may change your views in the light
of the result. For a few years we blended in yet often
on these missions enemy aircraft would pass each other.
“Our modern world fragments into different disciplines”,
she said. Can we find power in powerlessness? On the
other hand we gather data and come up with patterns.
Without the means to observe we are likely to come
to some wrong conclusions. Are the Galatians foolish?
Are you wondering what’s under the water? It may seem
surprising but the accuracy of these maps relies on aerial
photography. “It’s to do with a lot more than trade”, he said.
Between that steel façade beats a heart of wrought iron.
Popularity may prove a mixed blessing of course but this is what
his work is about, that longing for something that isn’t there.
ADVICE FOR TRAVELLERS
“You can never get things right by abdication”,
he said. On this platform attention is awarded
for its own sake but who really has control of
the party machine? “He’ll come crawling back,
they always do”, she said. Our rules are simple –
count only the birds that land. As bricks go this
one is impressive. Perhaps this action will lead
to a change in the body politic? “It’s going to turn
milder again later in the week”, he said. What we
have here is a major catastrophe, a case of self-
inflicted damage on the scale of a Shakespeare
tragedy. Everyone is involved, from the landlords
to the stable hands and this time escape seems
unlikely. “As regard fake news most of our know-
ledge is a bit fuzzy around the edges”, he said.
There are so many things hanging from the ceiling,
it’s like a gallery of junk. Here we have fifty years of
accumulation. “It’s a very serious collection”, he said.
Is that Harry Potter the legal historian? As their fame
grew so did a sense of romance around who they were
and what they stood for. “Building made easy”, she said.
Should there be a universal basic income? Yet cultural
identity has as much to do with storytelling as anything
else and this is what we are here to defend. Where are
the Philistines now? A cloudier afternoon is expected
and may be followed by a dry and bright evening.
Our community
is in crisis but
there is nothing
in this conduct
which is unlawful.
How about we
split the difference?
Aquatic insects
are also endangered
and where we have
data the decline is
clear. “If any hearing
loss is detected your
specialist will explain
causes and consequences”,
she said. We need to
know how to operate
underwater and in
any case when we
brought the box to
the surface nobody
knew what was inside.
“I can’t say”, he said,
“it’s fishing and they
like their secrets.”
There was no gold
but the box was
full of banknotes.
As autumn sets in
seeds and nuts
ripen and are ready
to eat. It suddenly
came to him that
he knew exactly
the right person to
ask. “You’re right,
there are no fish
here”, she said.
A weak weather
spot is producing
some rain and
drizzle.
WALKING AWAY
It took a long
time for life
to reach this
stage. Are we
seeing the green
shoots of
opportunity
or are we
heading into
a brick wall?
“It’s unusual
for a pistol to
have such velocity,
more like a rifle”.
he said. Did you
know that the
komodo dragon
has a double
penis? Here we
have a fish corridor
which has been
constructed to
mimic the rapids.
Is the age of
acquisition over?
Have you ever
had to handle
a bat that has
gone off course?
Last year at this
time it was the
beast from the
east but now
it’s bees and
butterflies.
May we see
your licence
please?
ANOTHER TWIST OF FATE
“I like Claudius”, she said. The polls of course
are mixed but we need to put prevention at
the forefront of everything we do. “I did it my
way”, she said. How did it all crumble so quickly?
Others are drawn by duty but her plans for murder
remained firm. There doesn’t seem to be an emerging
pattern here yet the reign of Nero has begun. Little
and often makes the fish compete. There are a lot
of flies in the air tonight and they are dropping on
the water. Should we be surprised that conspiracy
theories are so embedded in the way we see the world?
What are your literary influences? If you’re on the
losing side you may change your views in the light
of the result. For a few years we blended in yet often
on these missions enemy aircraft would pass each other.
“Our modern world fragments into different disciplines”,
she said. Can we find power in powerlessness? On the
other hand we gather data and come up with patterns.
Without the means to observe we are likely to come
to some wrong conclusions. Are the Galatians foolish?
Are you wondering what’s under the water? It may seem
surprising but the accuracy of these maps relies on aerial
photography. “It’s to do with a lot more than trade”, he said.
Between that steel façade beats a heart of wrought iron.
Popularity may prove a mixed blessing of course but this is what
his work is about, that longing for something that isn’t there.
ADVICE FOR TRAVELLERS
“You can never get things right by abdication”,
he said. On this platform attention is awarded
for its own sake but who really has control of
the party machine? “He’ll come crawling back,
they always do”, she said. Our rules are simple –
count only the birds that land. As bricks go this
one is impressive. Perhaps this action will lead
to a change in the body politic? “It’s going to turn
milder again later in the week”, he said. What we
have here is a major catastrophe, a case of self-
inflicted damage on the scale of a Shakespeare
tragedy. Everyone is involved, from the landlords
to the stable hands and this time escape seems
unlikely. “As regard fake news most of our know-
ledge is a bit fuzzy around the edges”, he said.
There are so many things hanging from the ceiling,
it’s like a gallery of junk. Here we have fifty years of
accumulation. “It’s a very serious collection”, he said.
Is that Harry Potter the legal historian? As their fame
grew so did a sense of romance around who they were
and what they stood for. “Building made easy”, she said.
Should there be a universal basic income? Yet cultural
identity has as much to do with storytelling as anything
else and this is what we are here to defend. Where are
the Philistines now? A cloudier afternoon is expected
and may be followed by a dry and bright evening.
Copyright © Steve Spence 2019
Steve Spence is joint organiser of Plymouth Language Club, which promotes live poetry events in Plymouth. His poetry and reviews have appeared in Tears in the Fence, The Rialto, Epozootics, Stand, Stride and Litter, among others. A Curious Shipwreck (Shearsman 2010) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for best first collection; his other publications include Limits of Control (Penned in the Margins 2011), Maelstrom Origami (Shearsman 2014) and Many Red Fish (Knives, Forks and Spoons 2018). His work appeared previously in Molly Bloom 17.
