Again from Utter. Finally, a lullaby.

To Sleep Possum to Dream

possum descending a stairwell ) a stepladder
numbers of sleep rounded up ) possum defending
sealed caves of seal-sheep ) sea-clouds ) here merely daisies
) telling a petalled profusion of slumbering
possum ) enamelled ) possum logging out early
possum without compass seeks haystacks in haystacks
thorough innavigable cringly acres
impossumble n’est pas français a possum’s nest
nest pas français a possum cantabile
possum untrainable ) the nest unscheduled stop
the nest is silence ) the deepest possumism
) opossum knows possum wakes only for possum
so accordingly all possumbilities hold . . .

from Utter (Peepal Tree, 2013), © Vahni Capildeo 2013, used by permission of the author and the publisher.

Vahni Capildeo in the Poetry Store

The free tracks you can enjoy in the Poetry Archive are a selection of a poet’s work. Our catalogue store includes many more recordings which you can download to your device.

Glossary
Close