Edward Lee’s poetry, short stories, non-fiction and photography have been published in magazines in Ireland, England and America, including The Stinging Fly, Skylight 47, Acumen, Impspired and Poetry Wales. His poetry collections are Playing Poohsticks On Ha’Penny Bridge, The Madness Of Qwerty, A Foetal Heart, Bones Speaking With Hard Tongues and To Touch The Sky And Never Know The Ground Again.

He also makes musical noise under the names Ayahuasca Collective, Orson Carroll, Lego Figures Fighting, and Pale Blond Boy.

His blog/website can be found at https://edwardmlee.wordpress.com

THE MUSIC OF AN ENDING

The untightened drum

beats a muffled tune,

that only the lost 

and their ghosts

can dance to,

their steps making less

of a noise 

than the untightened drum

that was found 

in the dusty corner

of a forgotten room

in a demolished home,

a place said to be haunted

by those who failed to live

as they struggled to survive,

the broken song of their minds

like a siren call for a self-made ending.

WITHOUT

I know, I know,

if I might fall out

of poetic thoughts

for just this moment,

that without water,

without food,

I would be soon to die,

but,



but, to return

to that poetic thinking,



I would die 

all the sooner

without your soft hand

set firmly in mine, even if

I were to continue living.

BEFORE MADE NOW

Old photographs found

in the corner 

of the attic

deliver paper cuts

to my heart, slice 

air from my lungs,

leaving me staggering,

a hand extending up

to grab a roof beam

for support, the reason 

I am in the attic

forgotten, erased

by memories

I have not held

so closely

in years.