Dots in Space, pamphlet. ISBN
978-1-909404-30-4
Susan Ironfield was born in Accrington, Lancs. She studied languages and music at Liverpool University. After publishing some poetry and articles in magazines, she turned to painting on musical, psychological and astrological themes, and had many exhibitions in England and Germany. In 2010 her book Full Circle, Astrological Signs in Verse was published by Janus.
Fungus, pigeons, beetles, a dead gull; aspects of life that might go unnoticed are brought under the microscope by Susan Ironfield in this fascinating set of poems. For this poet it is the smallest of details that hold meaning and even a seemingly big and mysterious subject like black holes are brought sharply into a human focus.
Sample poems:
Crotchets
Lines of crotchets catch
and fix the strict pitch:
black tackhead tadpoles
hung on the edge
of some ledge.
Then in shoals
they’re off away
into play,
quick tails
in double quivers:
quavers!
Lament
a butterfly that flakes in pain
vacant sound you never heard
yet it falters in the brain
vast valedictory word
vacant sound you never heard
the loud silence grows in you
vast valedictory word
of all the things that ever flew
the loud silence grows in you
enormity of a last death
of all the wings that ever flew
woven coloured waves of breath
enormity of a last death
of any thoughts that ever were
woven coloured waves of breath
everything you held dear
any thoughts that ever were
how they falter in the brain
everything you held dear
a butterfly that flakes in pain
