Henry is a writer, poet and mental health essayist based in Somerset in the UK. He has a PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of Birmingham. His poetic novella, ‘Notes from the State of OMNESIA’ was published by Impspired Press.

Regret

The man in the shiny black shoes is being interviewed on the radio,
where nobody can see his feet

The man in the shiny black shoes is tapping his foot
with an irregular rhythm

The man in the shiny black shoes looks down at them 
as if he believes the soles are too thick

The man in the shiny black shoes realises that his trousers are too short
and his socks are too bright

The man in the shiny black shoes continues to politely answer the questions
posed by the presenter

The man in the shiny black shoes takes a sip from his gin
and wishes he bought the suede ankle boots with the pink laces instead.

Mindless Mindset

Overstimulated by 
an algorithm within me
that disorientated 
and manipulated 
my thoughts,

something disintegrated 
in my personal digital space
and I briefly wandered about
like some BAUHAUS cat
through a stifling smog 
of simulated silence.

I was lost like a clock 
with no tick, forever suspended 
in temporary time, 
lost in temporal timelessness

and it was then I realised 
it is harder than ever 
to do nothing at all.