Requiem

Written in memory of her mother, who died of motor neurone disease in 2012, the poems of Requiem roughly cover the timespan of an illness, death, and burial. The formal structure is based on the Catholic Requiem Mass as it has been set as a choral piece by Giuseppe Verdi, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, and many others. The poems quote from other classical and folk works about the underworld and the passage into death, juxtaposing the engagement with the old text with modern references.

Winner of the Poetry Book Society Spring Pamphlet Choice.

2. Kyrie

Lord have mercy upon her
Christ have mercy upon her
Day have mercy upon her
Night have mercy upon her

Bed have mercy upon her
Hoist have mercy upon her
Catheter have mercy upon her
Needle have mercy upon her

Gastrostomy have mercy upon her
Citalopram have mercy upon her
Riluzole have mercy upon her
Morphine have mercy upon her [...]