By Clare Proctor
ISBN 978-1-0685762-1-8
Price £7
Wayleave has Sold out. However copies can be obtained from Litfest: https://litfest.org/shop/
Published in conjunction with Litfest, this is one of three winning pamphlets selected by Jane Routh and Ian Duhig for the 2024 Litfest/Wayleave pamphlet competition
In these confident and accomplished poems, Clare Proctor explores and gives voice to the experiences of women, particularly those constrained by their context, whether historical, or through art, myth or individual circumstance. They move from the particular to the more general in considering ideas around the body, death, motherhood and family.
“This is a compelling pamphlet that delves into the mythic and the personal, weaving together themes of womanhood, power and rebellion. There is a delicious and sly darkness to some of these poems as we meet witches who keep penises as pets, and women who insist on not behaving as expected. Clare Proctor’s poetry has real emotional depth and this pamphlet announces an important addition to the ongoing lyric conversation about the female body and what it means to be a woman.” Kim Moore
“These poems seem to want to unsettle the reader not only with their content but also with their variation in form. A feeling of darkness and an atmosphere of being observed by something sinister contrasts with mischief and playfulness. The pamphlet never allows us to feel comfortable. Its women are ceaseless as waves in their struggle against oppression. An assured first collection.” Jennifer Copley
Shhh
Girls aren’t to speak of this.
Girls hold their breath,
touch themselves in silence, tight-lipped.
Girls mouth desire into the pillow,
spread their feelings across the night.
Why aren’t girls taught the words
and how to hold them
so when they’re needed
they don’t melt on the tongue
like communion wafers.