We’re honoured to include Sallyanne Rock as one of Outsideleft’s Sunday Morning Poets.
Today’s poem is taken from her extraordinary debut collection ‘Salt & Metal’, a collection that deals with living through and recovering from domestic abuse. Amongst the praise for her work, poet and theatremaker Maria Ferguson described Rock's poetry as ‘unflinching yet cautious, brutal yet tender, beautiful in (it’s) sadness…’ She was awarded the Creative Future Gold Prize for Poetry in 2019.
As well as writing poetry, Sallyanne delivers creative writing workshops and works alongside other artists and creative organisations, helping people to access funding and providing support for their projects.
Corrasion
You drew me to ground
homed me with soft nesting
in your upturned hand
safely lofted
and never alone
I put aside thoughts of flight
until in the late pastel light
breeze brought song from familiar cliffs
I unfolded
pushed away on curled feet
breathed in
ready for the lift
but air tore through bare tendon
spun sky & ground twisted me into
a casket of hollow bones
you had plucked one feather every night
whispered
you are not a bird
© 2019 Sallyanne Rock
Essential Information
A link to Sallyanne Rock's website is here
You can order a copy of 'Salt & Metal' here
The Previous Sunday Morning Poet is here→
