Poem of the Day
Today's Poem of the Day is from Carole Bromley's 'Skylight' – a winner in the 2008/09 Poetry Business competition.
A JEWISH GIANT AT HOME WITH HIS PARENTS
after Diane Arbus
Ever wanted to eat your folks
like icing dolls off a wedding cake?
I could sweep them up like dust,
shake them onto the flower bed.
They keep the curtains closed all day
to stop the carpet fading;
they don’t like my nose, my hair,
my enormous feet.
Mum keeps a roomful of toys
as if I might regress,
looks up at me sometimes
like I’m some kind of ogre,
while dad stands, hands in pockets,
looking at his shoes,
diminished, defeated,
not knowing where to start.
I want to stretch out my arms
and shake the foundations,
stride off in my seven league boots
and find a ten foot woman.
– Carole Bromley, from Skylight (2009)
The Poetry Business receives financial assistance from Arts Council England.
