Stephen Watt – A Feeling of Being Watched

In a secluded dell, swollen conifers bailey the body;
a virgin shrine
garlanded by hanging baskets of fruit.
Punctures in his skin, ruptures, aids the roots
to grow, slowly, like hearsay, scrutiny,
squeeze like the acidic currants of a mother’s eyes
pinched by press bulbs and questions.
He is with the critters now.
In thunderstorms of crackling marrow,
popcorn flesh and fluids flood the soil
and seeds donate organs
greedy starlings may plunder
but on the fluorescent signatures of the leaves
where public do not wander,
he has been absorbed into maple, timber.
            A jaw of squirrels.
            A chest of robins.

Stephen Watt is the author of five poetry collections and was appointed Dumbarton FC Poet-in-Residence in 2016. As well as serving as Makar for the Federation of Writers (Scotland) and Poet-in-Chief for The Hampden Collection, Stephen has edited two punk poetry collections on behalf of the Joe Strummer Foundation (‘Ashes To Activists’) and Buzzcocks (‘Pogo Serotonin’). Stephen has previously won the Poetry Rivals slam, the StAnza International Digital Poetry prize and the Tartan Treasures award.