A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
after the painting by Edouard Manet
.
Her mind is elsewhere,
inhabiting a stillness within
as the drawn hours of servitude
gradually emerge on her face.
The empty noise of human life
fades as she gazes away
from the cabaret’s forged promise.
The expensive alcohol
about to escape
from the music of bottles,
a geometry of untouched
fruit by her left hand
as a customer waits
for his evening to begin.
Art’s flowers accompanied
by the atmosphere of a room’s address,
mirror’d figures caught
within an unbroken reflection.
.
Cherry Tree
.
The pink blossom I see
outside my window
has entered my head,
the bark of the tree
has touched my skin.
Outwards,
the roots are hereditary,
they are growing
with me.
Each tree sings,
each blossom screams
in a world where history
is madness.
.
Byron Beynon lives in Wales. His work has appeared in several publications including North of Oxford, The London Magazine, Cyphers (Dublin), San Pedro River Review, The Blue Nib and the human rights anthology In Protest (University of London and Keats House Poets). A former co-editor of Roundyhouse Poetry Magazine. Collections include Cuffs (Rack Press) and The Echoing Coastline (Agenda Editions).
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North of Oxford 