Poem: Poison By Kirsty Allison

During lockdown we invited performance poet Kirsty Allison to play a socially distanced gig at The Riverside.

Below is her poem ‘Poison’, inspired by the music of Gil De Ray, who also performed backing music to Kirsty’s words for the first time at our gig.

Her anthology, Now Is Now, is available as a signed and numbered, limited edition of 250, and was published as thank you to all the paying subscribers of kirstyallison.substack.com. It is the third book on Cold Lips Press. Also available on vagrantlovers.bandcamp, coldlips.co.uk  and through Rough Trade. The foreword is written by Malik Ameer Crumpler, the poet, rapper and editor.

“Kirsty Allison is the greatest cultural beacon this planet has produced” IRVINE WELSH.  “The modern Patti Smith” JOHNY BROWN, THE BAND OF HOLY JOY. “A one-woman cosmos” DAVID ERDOS, INTERNATIONAL TIMES. “Combines the cerebral and the carnival” THE SUNDAY TIMES

Perfume (in response to Gil De Ray’s song)

I smell you as a memory

Of factory foiled walls

Glimpse your sunken cheeks

Sniff your velvet claw

I thought your scent had left me

But it pulls me to the floor

Past Sports Direct

Beyond social mores

The heat of chasing bondage

Your heavenly boxing glove

Labels don’t betray us

This obsession’s not love

I touch your head

You stroke my neck

Put my hands behind my back

Undressed invisible

Indivisible, Fond choke

Emulsify me

No betrayal

Floating outlaw.

Rope’s in the cellar

Tools in the drawer

I’ll sell it all for you now

Whip me, sweet horsetail

This distraction’s a one way street

I’m undermined

You’re so hard

Neediness upsets me

Vapour’s clear

So near

You never left me

My favourite perfume