Rain
Outside rain sounds on
A bluntness of wind
Accentuating dreams,
A glorious closing off
I lay here in my bed attentive
To such sound, the thrill of it,
This my own isolation, a disconnect
From whatever being alive is, a sufferance
Willing to shift, unable, maybe
Like my own wantings warming me
The rain in a bluntness of wind
As now I am becoming, absent
As always from dreams of dreams again
The syllables of my name drifting off
Somewhere
I have no knowledge of
And emptied utterly, utterly emptied
Like surgery,
Or prayer……..
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John R Cornwall lives in a small town called Great Harwood in the North West of England, its only claim to fame being it was granted a Royal Charter in 1666 meaning that it could call itself a market town. He gained a BA (Hons.) English Literature & Philosophy from the University of Hull and a Diploma (with distinction) from the University of Lancaster in Creative Writing specialising in Poetry. His work has appeared in many online and print collections the most recent being A Contemporary Review of English Poetry alongside Andrew Motion, a former Poet Laureate and Brian Patten.
He enjoys photography exhibitions, the Theatre usually in Manchester until the present lockdown meaning that all events have been put on hold and for what length of time no one can be sure, unfortunately. He is particularly fond of the work of Sylvia Plath the focus of his PhD dissertation, and Carol Anne Duffy whose regular recitals he has attended and the work of Camus, Sartre, Beckett, Alan Bennett and the music of Beethoven, Bach and Handle. He currently lectures at the University of Central Manchester and at times the Universities of Hull and Bradford although during these uncertain times education has had to be put on hold and, again, no one can be certain when the new normal will appear and students can begin to plan their lives out once more.
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Abegail Morley 