Ok! I was bound to get round to Carol Ann Duffy sometime in the Monday poem. A lot of us reckon she'll be the next Poet Laureate when Big Ted pops his clogs. This is one of her most famous poems, but I've chose it cos it's also my favourite. It's fairly self-explanatory. It's from her last collection "Mean Time", published by Anvil, which came out a coupla years ago and won every prize going... Trousers xxxxx The Poetry Society Website: http://www.poetrysoc.com Carol Ann Duffy Warming Her Pearls Next to my own skin, her pearls. My mistress bids me wear them, warm them, until evening when I'll brush her hair. At six, I place them round her cool, white throat. All day I think of her, resting in the Yellow Room, contemplating silk or taffeta, which gown tonight? She fans herself whilst I work willingly, my slow heat entering each pearl. Slack on my neck, her rope. She's beautiful. I dream about her in my attic bed; picture her dancing with tall men, puzzled by my faint, persistent scent beneath her French perfume, her milky stones. I dust her shoulders with a rabbit's foot, watch the soft blush seep through her skin like an indolent sigh. In her looking-glass my red lips part as though I want to speak. Full moon. Her carriage brings her home. I see her every movement in my head... Undressing, taking off her jewels, her slim hand reaching for the case, slipping naked into bed, the way she always does... And I lie here awake, knowing the pearls are cooling even now in the room where my mistress sleeps. All night I feel their absence and I burn. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . Listen, this is pish, I think I'll leave -----------------------------------------------------------------------