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, The Blue Nib 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

FOR I AM A FOOL

You aerated my skin
with a kiss,
separated my veins
from my arms
with your tongue,
sliced me in four
with your heart
and the words
that poured from it,
words of honey
that stank of decay
and the previous hearts
that beat their last
in that decay,

and after it all,
I asked, quite seriously,
for more,

more.

THIS EXPANDING GUILT

The little doubt
that remained
sweeps down the shower drain
with her sweat,
mingled with his,
the echo of the hotel room
they took for an afternoon
swirling between her toes,
all to be replaced
by what must be guilt,
pouring from her eyes
onto her cheeks,
or maybe from the shower head,
so hot do they feel,
falling from her chin
onto breasts
that hum with a tender pain
that almost makes
this expanding guilt
worthwhile.

SPARE ME

I will never know
the full extent
of my failings
as a father –
though I can guess
at some –
until my daughter,
become an adult,
will list them for me,
when she realises
my authority
is nothing more but the words
I can call firmly to my mouth.

I hope she is kind,
to me, maybe
she might even lie

if I have reared wrong,
my feelings spared
even in those most 
obvious of failures.