Poem of the month

selected by David Underdown, who supplies the footnote. As seems fitting, the featured poet is Michael Laskey, who will be appearing at the McLellan Festival on Friday 29th August, in Brodick Hall.

On My Own

By Michael Laskey

I don’t waste any time over lunch,
I eat it in the kitchen standing up.
Bread, off the bread board – no plate –
with whatever’s in the fridge, hard cheese,
some scrapings of hummus, a tomato,
a lettuce leaf or two broken off.

But with you almost always fresh bread
I’ve fetched first thing – a small
granary, an organic or a cobber –
I ring the changes, surprise you
with rollmops, an avocado, last week
artichoke hearts. And then, my favourite,
salad, in our wide open wooden bowl –
rocket, cos, webbs, whatever’s
going or I’m growing, with cucumber,
olives, tomatoes, and on a good day
sweet chargrilled peppers I’m peeling
when you drive in, still ragged from work,
and before we sit, settle yourself
by picking us some mint, whisking up
one of your thick mustard dressings.

Like so many of Michael Laskey’s poems ‘On My Own’ is rooted in familiar domestic routine. It is easy to read but hints subtly at the universal, how we respond to our fellow humans, and the rich pleasures and mysteries of companionship. Michael will be appearing live on Arran later this month. The poem is taken from ‘The Man Alone: New and Selected Poems’ published by Smith/Doorstop Books.

The details of all the events throughout the McLellan Festival can be found here.