Two Poems

Helen Bowie

Rialú Aerthráchta

The country we call home

BASE

And have called home for generations

CALL SIGN

Does not feel homely any more

PUSH BACK

We rush to the embassy

TAXIWAY

To fill out the paperwork

APPROACH CONTROL

To reconnect with grandparents

FLIGHT PLAN

We never met, from places

AIRSPACE

We have never been

TRANSITION

In search of open hearts

RADAR CONTACT

And open borders

DEPARTURE PROCEDURES

In your nana’s paperwork

VISIBILITY

You find a note which reads

FINAL

What kind of country cannot look after its own?

FULL STOP LANDING

The Direct Method For Lost Souls

Through intensive repetition, we learn.
Is it beer?
It is beer.
Is it another round?
It is another round.
Are they shots?
They are shots.
Is it a good idea?
It is not a good idea.
If we go to Poznan, what will we do?
If we go to Poznan we will drink beer.
Is that boy worth your time?
That boy is not worth my time.
Did you have fun at the club last night?
I do not remember the club last night.
What time is the train?
The train is now.

Helen Bowie is a writer, performer and podcaster based in London. Her work has been featured or is upcoming Beir Bua Journal, Versification, Queerlings and Daily Drunk Mag, among others. Helen has a day job at a charity, one cat, and several bafflingly strong opinions on extremely trivial matters. You can find her on twitter @helensulis

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