Astral Projection
Mrs Norris had thought ascension
would be whirligig rides in bright violet rays,
as the training books all implied.
She worked hard on her technique
diligently preparing an inner world,
a kaleidoscopic version of her garden,
neat box hedges, with glittering leaves,
flourishes of fragrant perennials, blooming
out of season riots of brilliant intensity.
She had not expected to find herself
scaling a mighty yew tree’s limitless body,
gazing up the muscular trunk, marvelling
at the slope of reality receding to a grain
of sand, which languished somewhere
in the middle. She met William Blake
on the node of branch, he greeted her
with shining eyes, while she pulled
at the hem of her winceyette nightdress,
wondering why she hadn’t the foresight,
to wear sensible outdoor clothing,
or at least a stout pair of sky-blue brogues.
Alison Jones’ work has been widely published in journals such Poetry Ireland Review, Proletarian Poetry, The Interpreter’s House, The Green Parent Magazine and The Guardian. Her pamphlets, Heartwood (2018) and Omega (2020) were published by Indigo Dreams. She is working on a full collection, and an interdisciplinary project bringing together poetry, music, art and film.