Iain Britton

Iain Britton



this portrayal is all about people

the cameraman
shoots lizards & bush pigeons

long-eared bats hang by their jackets amongst dark figs

i’ve learnt to reenact
another day’s sojourn at the bay, the uplifted rocks
take turns at shattering the daylight
at targeting fields of brittle shadows

this portrayal is all about people
thrusting out hands for more sky more parachutes more colours in rainbows

the competition is fierce for the best vantage point to observe
the birdspeak of an egg

i’ve learnt to live with this

i work on intimacies stolen from old Celtic proverbs

the cameraman takes what he thinks is the perfect shot
he adjusts his angles

he latches on to a rotating focus

while above him fruit bats
dangle overdosed & restless.





IAIN BRITTON is the author of several poetry collections. Work has been published or is forthcoming in Harvard Review, POETRY and The New York Times. THE INTAGLIO POEMS was published by Hesterglock Press in 2017.