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Rose Cook is a poet from the South-West, well known from her appearances at poetry events from Soho to Cornwall. She co-founded the Devon poetry and performance forum One Night Stanza.
She should have let him go ages before
he asked her, several times, I heard him,
but she stood thigh deep, her small hands on
the prow of his boat, offering instructions
in a gentle voice, as an air hostess does before
take off, her own fears chained together
like clauses and carefully wrapped around
as fast as he tries to cast off, until he can
take it no more and shouts to her to let go
and to shut up since he knows more about sailing
than she does, so she stands with her arms
at her sides, watching, while the wind takes
her son and his orange sails and carries him out
far on a run, so he cuts through the slate sea
not looking back, but we can just hear his voice:
I know far more about sailing than you do.
Poem published: Everyday Festival, Happenstance, 2009.
Publications, available from Rose:
Everyday Festival, Happenstance, 2009, ISBN 978-1-905939-36-7. £4.
Taking Flight, Oversteps Books, ISBN 978-1-906856-09-0. £8.
Rose Cook at www.wordpress.com
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Copyright© of all poems featured on this site remains with the poet
