Well, my dears,
greetings from my world of words, word of worlds
I do not faff, I epiphanise.
I am air.
I am tangerine air and I waft through temples,
cloisters and columned places
all thigh and dips – my word and dance is

Pumpernickel!
Tabernacle!

(Tibberknockel! Pomperknuckle!)

Consider close my
ossss – sill – lay – shuns!
This smidge that is me can twirl a word
(your word – my word, our word – the word, the only word),

can strid – you – late – oh flare!/flare!/flare! –
Oh flare of life, love, chance, death, beauty, wonder
(etcetera)
eggs – set – her – are

My soft pink words,
my toque, my shades,

glacé cherry, dimity bodice –

yes!
I will dance your name,
toe and thigh and sweep and dip
and

TWANG!
A swinge
LUNGE!
A swange

You are Tarquin – you Philomel – (sweet poems both – ¡Besos! ¡Besos!)

And so
must end my
baile dulce con las palabrassss

I bow with cocktail titfer,
ribbony soul and feathered heel
and

freeeeeeeeeze.

(To view or download a pdf of this poem with its original layout preserved, please click here)

Christopher North’s first pamphlet collection ‘A Mesh of Wires’ (Smith Doorstop) was short-listed for the Forward Prize in 1999. His first full collection ‘Explaining the Circumstances’  was published in 2010 (Oversteps Books) and his bilingual joint collection  ‘Al Otro Lado del Aguilar’ was published in 2011.  He facilitates poetry retreats at the Almassera Vella in Relleu Alicante (www.oldolivepress.com) and chairs ‘Stanza Alacant’ for the Poetry Society.