Plainsong

Have you heard the one about
how I’m hoping to bow out –

playing guitar for the Cure
on a wide stage – the riff pure

as wind-bells in the twilight,
the crowd stretching beyond sight

into the dark and the rain –
smiling, not ageing, not in pain,

lost in the longing song, doubt
done with, drowning myself out?

Antony Dunn has published four collections of poems most recently, Bugs (Carcanet OxfordPoets) and Take This One to Bed (Valley Press). Winner of the Newdigate Prize and an Eric Gregory Award, he edited and introduced Ex Libris, a posthumous collection of poems by David Hughes (Valley Press). Antony is a regular tutor for The Poetry School and has taught many times for Arvon. He has worked on a number of translation projects with poets from Holland, Hungary, Israel and China. He has been Poet in Residence at Ilkley Literature Festival, the University of York and the People Powered Press. Until 2018 he was Artistic Director of the Bridlington Poetry Festival. Antony lives in Leeds.  Website: antonydunn.org