No Man
I am an island without water
that a tidal wave destroyed
no friendly ebb and flow
Saharan desert, hot sun in isolation
on imagined ghosts, forever walking
I am salted sweat evaporating
only noticed in its itch
hot, hard crack camel heel
bootless legionnaire
traversing sink sand dunes
weary from heavy survivor pack
I am rested in lush green dreams
mirage of watermelon
huge scape of red
melanin skin bronzed in vitamins
oil replenished by touch
hammock swinging into night
I am journeyed into universe
a meditation, overcome by tears
at the well of loneliness
belly crawl to sip from friendship cup
returning to taste empty
I am untouched as leper
tabernacle passed, thrown scraps
worn, diseased, hopeless, low caste
on outskirt of city, Jesus desolation
forty days and nights, walking wilderness
desecration of isolation
I am no man
Biography
Tish Camp is a London born Trinidadian/Irish poet, writer and forum theatre director living in Tewkesbury. Published in 2018/2019 Gloucestershire Poetry Society Anthologies and nominated for Gloucestershire Poet Laureate 2019, she continues to write and perform poetry and theatre on politics, abuse, grief, racism, and feminist perspectives. www.facebook.com/TishCampPoetWriter #TishCampPoetWriter