ONLINE POETRY Two Poems by Rhys Milsom
A View: Thomas Street; Broadfield Close; Sleep
Getting in at
2
a.m.
stinking of other
people’s lies and
a mouth with tinges
of an hour-old
cigarette
knowing that tomorrow’s
going to be
no different sort of
makes it
easier
to understand why some
dissolve out of it all
perhaps they’re not
so
cowardly after all
perhaps they’re the
realists
my father’s snores
remind me of
when I was
younger
in my grandparents
house with
the
T.V so loud
& the horses
racing for the needs
of the desperate
with my granddad sat
in his chair
a cigarette burning
away between
his fingertips
shouting at the screen
cigarette ash flicking &
blemishing the carpet
I’m on that
carpet
watching with a
golden Labrador polishing
my fingers clean
when the race is over it’s quiet
and the Labrador
sighs and lies down
my head falls on
her softly
breathing
body
golden splinters sewing into
my hair and
creased clothes
my granddad gets another smoke
10 minutes later
he’s
asleep
snoring like my father
the cat settles
curls onto my lap
tiny claws pin-
pricking
my skin
the sound of a car passing on the bypass
my father’s snores
I now know why
Sleep
comes so easily
394462
We found out
On a Saturday morning
Just after the new year
Then, all the signs
We’d ignored
Made sense
As clear as the blue lines
On the three tests
She’d shown me
Held between
Her chipped, red
Fingernails
Things had to change
Quickly
And they did
There were
No more 6am home times
After a night on the pop
But the odd beer
With the boys
Managed to keep that
Howling dog
Of a habit
In check
We moved
To the opposite
Side of the city
A place with a yard
A front garden
Two bedrooms
An improvement
As the months went on
Our little girl
Grew inside
Feeding
Sleeping
Listening
Breathing
Kicking
Punching
Preparing
For her life
Outside
Of that dark
Pink den
The morning sickness
Was like poison
And lasted
For a solid
7 months
Finally ebbing away
After solutions
Of old wives tales
And antibiotics
Those torrid
7 months
Took their toll
– acid from the vomit
Meant teeth taking
The brunt
And numerous visits
To the dentist
Sleepless nights
Her chest
Cracking open
– her burning heart
Her back
Creaking and pulling
From the life inside
She’d put on 6
During the
Pregnancy
And our baby was
Estimated 7
– she’d lost weight
I’m gonna look fantastic
After I give birth
She’d say daily
You already do
I’d say
And as we lie
Here together
My hand on her belly
1 week before
the due date
I feel our baby
Ivy
Wriggling and
Living inside
In 1 week
Our baby
Our blood
Our DNA
Will be here
Feeding
Sleeping
Listening
Breathing
Kicking
Punching
Preparing
For life
Outside
Of our den
Rhys Milsom lives in Cardiff with his girlfriend, daughter and two cats. He has had poetry, fiction and reviews published widely. His debut poetry collection, Amnesia, is available now from Onion Custard Publishing. He is the creator of Milieu, a free quarterly night of literature, spoken word, art, photography and visual concepts, bringing together a collective of writers and artists alike. Milieu takes over Little Man Coffee in Cardiff, on the second Friday every three months starting from December. @rhys_milsom