ANDREW SHIELDS lives in Basel, Switzerland. His collection of poems Thomas Hardy Listens to Louis Armstrong was published by Eyewear in June 2015. His band Human Shields released the album Somebody’s Hometown in 2015 and the EP Défense de jouer in 2016. His poems have recently appeared online in Talking About Strawberries, Delta Poetry Review, London Grip, and Oddball Magazine.
Eternal Return
Every morning, she says she needs
a vacation. Not even a second coffee
can make her alert enough to have
a shot at making it through the day
without a yawn or three. After lunch
she drinks another just before she
takes a nap that sometimes lasts
two hours, and then she feels like
the last dinosaur before extinction
until evening, when she cannot sleep.
Winter Windstorm
On this bitter night, the wind has brought
North Sea storms to my window,
where they plead for entrance.
I lie still in the dark and listen
to their arguments, which would convince
no one to allow them entry.
But though I refuse them an audience,
they will not go away, even if
my attention is distracted by dreams.
I will hear their dead voices calling
until the day disperses them, until
the wind takes itself and them away.
ANDREW SHIELDS lives in Basel, Switzerland. His collection of poems Thomas Hardy Listens to Louis Armstrong was published by Eyewear in June 2015. His band Human Shields released the album Somebody’s Hometown in 2015 and the EP Défense de jouer in 2016. His poems have recently appeared online in Talking About Strawberries, Delta Poetry Review, London Grip, and Oddball Magazine.