Jon Stone - Nell Gwynn poses for Lely
by and published in Edition Twelve of Pomegranate
Give me smelting, smoosh, king’s ransom,
wowzers – swish out more of that salmony
haunch and – what’s the word? – shuck those minis.
You’re nitro-glycerine, Nell, magnesium!
Now do milkshake, wife of millionaire
with a squiff of tart – sucked on, lemony.
Like it, like it – now do criminal.
You’re deadly nightshade, Nell, polonium!
Let’s see bell-curved, let’s see lamb-lean.
Scoop out the light at its most melony
like your body’s the mouth of an animal.
You’re Das Kabinett des, Nell, Millennium!
Now really turn up the ‘your bed’ bearing,
the part moon buggy and part born grubby,
the look of “Oh look, me in state of ungarb”.
You’re Frank O’Hara, Nell, Ted Berrigan!
But tone down the ‘been had’, the ‘already worn numb’;
it’s got to be warm but it’s got to be new-warm.
That’s it – not drunk, more like “More wine?”
Oh Nell, you’re sheer delight, sheer woman!
Jon Stone
Jon Stone is co-creator of cult arts journal Fuselit and new micro-anthology publisher Sidekick Books. He was highly commended in the 2009 National Poetry Competition and his debut pamphlet, Scarecrows, is out now from Happenstance. He blogs at http://fuselit.blogspot.com