Masque of Blackness; Director’s Cut
by and published in Edition Nine of Pomegranate
shot 1
Mary Wroth tracing orbits on her palms,
ringlets falling down her neck
with all the grace and freedom
of pentameter
shot 2
slipping through the door, Queen Anne
zoom in, the dark paint dripping, follow her,
each drop, each step, the royal progress
to the royal bed
shot 3
Jonson, fingers knuckle-deep in ink
let’s say he writes the court
as though it were the only river
scratched on virgin map;
let’s say a bead of sweat, like a jewel,
crowns him
shot 4
the King, pull back until the shoulders
of the crowd begin to stage incursions;
a glance behind, the servants
move like moons around the throne
cut to: undulating hills
the fields, battlefields
fade out to black
Andrew McMillan
Andrew McMillan has been poet-in-residence of his own life for 20 years. Born in Barnsley, he now lives, studies and works in Lancaster. His work has previously appeared in various publications such as Acumen, The North, The Reader, The Red Wheelbarrow, Fin and Dreamcatcher. His first pamphlet is due out from Red Squirrel Press in October.