Talia Randall

Talia Randall



in my mayonnaise half-life

i spent a year 
washing

i held a rifle
clay pigeon 
shooting with a gang 
of toffs who said 
they were hard

i used to be
a sister
he was 24
when i stopped

there were a few 
times when I relaxed 
my screwface    
on the nightwalk
late-summer balm
had me all loose

dad once told me 
i should have been 
a wrestler 
or a singer

*

once 
my screwface sister gang
had me shooting
clay toffs 
late-summer
they were spent 
on a nightwalk
with a 24

held a year when
dad should have been 
a balm or a rifle
he used
i stopped washing

there were a few times when 
i said who i was
relaxed    
the all of me

i pigeon singer
i loose wrestler
i told to be hard 

*

a late-summer wrestler 
once used me
had me on a rifle 

be loose
he said
i spent 24 times 
washing my screwface
with nightwalk balm 
a few toffs were there
they were all a gang 

should i have 
told dad 

i was a sister 
a hard pigeon
who stopped the year 
shooting clay 

when held 
to a singer
i relaxed 





Raised on a London council estate, TALIA RANDALL began her artistic career in community schemes including Roundhouse Poetry Collective. She’s the creator of Deaf inclusive poetry show What Words Are Ours? and Cassette Tape Radio a comedy and poetry podcast.