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Finding A Leg To Stand On
Finding A Leg To Stand On - Connie Bensley
Finding A Leg To Stand On
It’s like some Grimm fairytale:
one of us loses an eye, one an ear,
one of us a heart. Magic spells
don’t work, so we take to bargaining:
an eye for an artery; a kidney
for a jug of blood. There are muggings.
Watch out – those of you with two good legs –
for the limping man who follows you home.
And if you have a sharp pair of eyes, take note
of the billowing of the curtain
at the window of your room,
as someone fumbles blindly towards you.
from Finding a Leg to Stand On (Bloodaxe, 2012), © Connie Bensley 2012, used by permission of the author and the publisher.