A Thing to Do

In the midst of a family crisis 

seemingly unending and unsolvable 

the only book I’m able to read 

is Roy Fisher’s Slakki, 

the same handful of poems 

over and over. 

I almost understand them. 

Cliff Yates was born in Birmingham. His most recent publications are Birmingham Canal Navigation (Knives Forks & Spoons, 2021), Another Last Word (Red Ceilings Press, 2021) and New & Selected Poems (Smith/Doorstop, 2023). His debut Henry's Clock (Smith/Doorstop, 1999) won the Fenton-Aldeburgh prize. The poem 'A Thing to Do' was previously published in New & Selected Poems.

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