pauline stainer

after a long time labouring as a seeming  fanboy party of one what a surprise to see pauline stainer lurching into view as poem of the week in the guardian. i'll post the poem up and you can find all the usual guardian poetry shenanigans here.

i have said it before and i'll say it again - pauline stainer - best living british poet.

now here's the poem....

Conjuration

Men conjured Blodeuwedd
from tapers of meadowsweet

Orpheus evoked Euridice
on the body of the lyre

astronomers, tracking Pluto,
see Persephone

with mourning-jet
at the opiate of her throat

Alcestis wakes – such sugars
work the cist-grave

and Lazarus?
To what voltage

will the five wits lodge
in their living dead?