Augury by Charley Reay

Their ladders ain’t for us to climb, we don’t have the money

to waste.  Some things are simply beyond our power,

our weapons are the subtle charms of the fairer sex.

Leave it for the men to make their declarations, fight their war –

as bright as a nuclear flash, and just as toxic.

We will care for one another, patch their wounded masculinity

hold the threads of civilization

by the force of our will

The summer of the Age of Man soon

enough, my dear, will turn to fall.

..

Charley Reay is a writer and spoken word artist from the Lincolnshire Fens.  She is currently based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, where she has lived for almost a decade.  Her poems have been published by Obsessed With Pipework, 3 Drops from a Cauldron and Writers Against Prejudice.  She is also a regular performer on the North East spoken word scene including feature sets at Stanza, Babble Gum and Poetry Jam. You can follow her on Twitter @charleyreay

Run by Charley Reay

I ran ‘til I was out of breath

Lungs stripped bare by the wind

Legs throbbing with lactic acid.

I ran ‘til I was out of breath

And then I kept on running.

 

The monster roared, the land shook –

My city obscured in the rising dust

Of desert sands or ruined buildings

The monster roared, the land shook

And so I kept on running.

 

My sights were set on a safer zone

Unwatched by the soldiers

Away from the drones

My sights were set on a safer zone

And so I kept on running

 

I ran ‘til there was nowhere left to go

From martial law to hostile territory

Aching feet to boat to shuttered truck

I ran ‘til there was nowhere left to go

How can I keep on running?

..

Charley Reay is a poet, performer and feminist based in Newcastle Upon Tyne.  You can follow her on Twitter @CharleyReay