this collection & Tollcross Community Centre: call for pitches!

this collection are teaming up with the fantastic Tollcross Community Centre and their Adult Learning Programme, and throughout Spring 2011, we’ll have access to the centre’s space and resources for three days of every working week. We’re hoping that we can fill this time with exciting collaborative opportunities, providing a space for artists of all walks of life to come together to create and discuss under the umbrella of this collection.

And that’s where YOU come in. We are throwing open the doors to allow access to anyone who’d like to join us in organizing an activity for local artists and/or writers. We’re looking for people to:

— host workshops in anything from creative writing to sculpture
— lead meetings, panels or discussions in the space
— host and co-ordinate events (remember our poet/filmmaker speed-dating?)
— give readings, performances or recitals in the space
— use the space for anything and anything artistic, collaborative and creative!

What’re the conditions? We don’t ask for much in return. Only…

— that your event MUST be inspired by or related to the this collection project
(e.g. you could give a masterclass on writing poems of 100 words or less, host a filmmaking workshop to adapt some of our poems, get together and discuss the concept of community collaboration, etc)

Interested? We’re looking for suggestions, proposals and pitches, and nothing is too small, too big, too weird or too ordinary. If there’s something you think you’d like to organise and you like the sound of a totally free space, get in touch!

Stuff to bear in mind:

— your event can be one-off, or one of a series. Let us know what you’re planning, and we’ll do our best to accomodate you.
— some materials/resources we may be able to provide; others you may have to bring yourself. Again, let us know.
— the space is available from 10am to 8.45pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Want to use the whole day? No problem. Just want an hour or two? No problem. We can be flexible!
— the space is ours to use until at least the end of March, so if you’re busy for the next little while but still fancy doing something, fear not! We can fit you in!

Basically the message is, if you’re interested, GET IN TOUCH! We’d love to hear from you. We’re hoping to gather as many proposals as possible before the space is opened up to us, so if you’d like to be involved, drop us an informal line by 15th January and let us know what you’d like to do.

film[at]thiscollection.org

Get thinking, get emailing, and have a fantastic New Year!

PS: we will also be holding community meet-ups in the space on Friday nights, as of the middle of January — more on this soon! So if you want to talk to us about your thoughts for the project rather than emailing, drop us a line and we’ll let you know more!

PPS: A few T&Cs before we go…

this collection and the Tollcross Community Centre ask:
— that you take responsibility for the majority of the organisation and promotion of your event. this collection is anti-curatorial, which means we won’t do any of the tricky stuff for you, like making sure that people show up! We will, however, happily plug your event as widely as possible, put you in touch with helpful people if we know of any, and provide resources if we have them to hand.
— that, if you need to cancel your event for any reason, you let us and the venue know as soon as you possibly can, so we can try and give someone else your spot
— that you’ll credit any references to this collection in work that comes out of your time in the centre
— that you’ll allow the this collection crew to attend, promote, talk about and document your event if we want to
— that all work produced at your event is produced under creative commons (i.e. the artist retains the right to their work, but the work can be shown/referred to by this collection with their permission and with due credits)

(Photo by allybeag)

this collection and Rocio Jungenfeld: weaving the streets

You may recall that Stefa posted some months ago about our adventures in the streets of Edinburgh with super-talented conceptual textile artist Rocio Jungenfeld. It’s taken a while to update you, but we can now let you see some of the fruits of the collaboration between Rocio and a handful of our talented this collection poets!

Here, Rocio talks with Morgan Downie about the concept of street weaving.

Rocio worked with poets Anna Dickie and Lauren Pope to create weaves of their poems, Same place different view and Southside II and III respectively. The resulting films are below!

Rocio also worked with Morgan Downie and Priscilla Chueng Nainby to create films based on their this collection poems. These will be online very soon!

Want to make a film for us, or find out more about street weaves or Rocio’s work? Email us at film[@]thiscollection.org or check out our Submissions page!

The this collection McEwan Hall showcase: THANKS!

this collection would like to thank the following people for helping to make our two-day showcase such a huge success!

First of all, none of it — and we mean none of it! — would have been possible without all the hard work and enthusiasm of the DMSP Masters volunteers, who dedicated hours and hours of manpower and creativity to making the event a reality. Also known as ThatCollective, these people are:
Simon Herron
Liam Boyd
Mousa Al-Rawahi
Marzieh Jarrahi
Liang Zheng
Yunika

We are also incredibly grateful for our contact at the University of Edinburgh, the fantastic Mr John Lee, and to the dream-team that is Mike Spells & Garry Gale of City of Edinburgh Library Services. Thank you for your patience, and your dedication to our project!

The evening could also not have happened without the input of the following lovely people:
The University of Edinburgh servitors
Glasgow School of Art
CRA:CC ensemble, in particular Nicole McNeilly and Liene Rozite
Dave Woods
Heather Bowry
Justin Vitello
Leon Crosby
Everyone who helped with or facilitated our free film workshops in the run-up to the showcase.

Films made by members of the public during the workshops were inspired by the poems and films of Norman McLaren, Stan Brakhage, Rose Lowder, Standish Lawder, DA Pennebeker and Maya Derren.

But finally, we’d like to thank all our hugely talented poets and filmmakers, without whom this collection could not exist — and massive thanks to everyone who came along to the McEwan Hall to watch, listen, enjoy and respond. See you next time!

Claire and Stefa

this collection showcase photo by Tom Bishop.

Day Two: the this collection McEwan hall showcase finale

Following the success of our film exposition the day before, expectations were high for our poetry-film finale on Friday 26th…

The evening kicked off at 6.30pm when we flung open the doors of the McEwan Hall, and were delighted to find an already-sizeable gaggle of keen poets, filmmakers and enthusiasts waiting on the doorstep. We quickly uncorked the first of many bottles of free wine and sat back to watch the influx of visitors. Once the crowd had gathered, Claire kicked off with a speech welcoming everyone to the event, giving a potted history of this collection and explaining what the evening had in store. Stefa then gave a brief round of thanks to all the wonderful people who’d helped make the event happen, and then without further ado, the party got under way!

The first four poets to read were Dan Mussett (a late addition, stepping in to replace Morgan Downie who sadly couldn’t be with us), Russell Jones, Anita John and McGuire. Russell was spotted brandishing copies of his pamphlet, The Last Refuge (Forest Publications), which would suggest his reading went down very well with those who gravitated towards Poet Station #1. At Station #2 Dan Mussett gave a beautiful reading in spite of his late addition to the bill, and Anita John gathered a sizeable audience in the upper gallery at Station #4. Meanwhile at gallery Station #3 McGuire was a total triumph — even gathering a crowd in the main hall below! These four poets were followed by Tom Bristow, Juliet Wilson, Simon Jackson and Andrew C Ferguson respectively — Juliet brought along copies of her hot-off-the-press pamphlet ‘Unthinkable Skies’ (Calder Wood Press) and read a particularly lovely poem about a sycamore tree, among others. Simon Jackson was multi-tasking, as two of his films were also showing in the hall below, and Andrew and Tom both received rapturous rounds of applause from their respective audiences.
The third sets were provided by Rob A Mackenzie, our very own Claire (standing in for Aileen Ballantyne who also sadly couldn’t make it in the end), Christine de Luca and Chris Lindores. Rob and Christine both read excellently and Chris Lindores was a tour de force, gathering the largest crowd of the evening — and the most glowing feedback! — and shifting a fair few copies of his pamphlet, You Old Soak (Read This Press) over the course of the evening! The poetry was wrapped up by Andrew Philip, who read from his critically-acclaimed book The Ambulance Box (Salt); Jane McKie, whose film adaptation of La Plage (courtesy of Alastair Cook of DISSIMILAR) played in the background as she read; Hayley Shields, who entranced a small but attentive audience with her ghostly tales and accounts of Edinburgh’s darker side; and Mairi Sharratt, whose audience were asked to pick her set themselves, by shouting a series of numbers which each corresponded to a poem.

All the poetry readings were accompanied by a continuous stream of beautiful, dark, inspiring and moving images courtesy of our many talented filmmakers. Adaptations by Helen Askew, Sean Gallen, Abhinaya Muralidharan, Alastair Cook, Ginnetta Correli, Diana Lindbjerg Jorgense, Dominique De Groen, Hans Peter, Heather Bowry, James Mildred and Francesca Sobanje, Laura Witz, Lewis Bennett, Rawan Mohammed, Rose Creasy, Simon Jackson, Stefanie Tan and ThatCollective all graced our projector screens as the evening progressed. Although some of the films included audio (piped through headphones at each station), the McEwan Hall had its own soundtrack for the evening. This took the form of a mercurial city soundscape, put together by the super-talented Simon Herron of ThatCollective; as well as improvised music and ethereal sounds from the CRA:CC experimental ensemble.

The evening rounded up just before 9pm, but the festivities continued well into the night at various alternative venues around the city! Altogether, the this collection team worked out that over 200 people had come along to be a part of our showcase, and so far we’ve received glowing feedback from poets, filmmakers, musicians and visitors alike. Thanks so much to everyone who came along, everyone who helped us organise, set up, take down, fund, promote or otherwise realise the event, and of course to all the brilliant artists who lent their creativity to us for the evening!

Here’s to the next…
Love,
Claire and Stefa

this collection showcase photos by Tom Bishop.

Day One: the this collection McEwan Hall showcase

So unless this is your first visit to this blog, you’ll know that today marked the first half of our two-day March film and poetry showcase at Edinburgh’s magnificent McEwan Hall…

…and what a first day it was! We flung open the doors at 10am and greeted the good people of Edinburgh as they came in to escape the swirling haar. Our DIY flags, posters and flyers drew a crowd made up of all sorts of people — some told us they’d had the date marked in their diary for weeks, while others just wandered in for a look and seemed to like what they saw! The film screenings were spread across four screens within the main hall space, with each screen housing around five or six films. These were subtly grouped by theme — warm, cold, stop-motion, palimpsest — and accompanied by their respective poems either on-screen or in DIY pamphlets for viewers to pick up and read. Sound engineer Simon Herron provided a spectacular non-stop city soundscape which played throughout the hall, and Glasgow-based experimental orchestra CRA:CC provided an improvised musical soundtrack in response to the films as they played out. Visitors were also able to congregate around our free press merchandise table: a source of books, pamphlets, magazines, journals, promotional materials and all manner of other poetry- and film-related paraphernalia, all of it completely free!

Through the afternoon we saw a steady stream of visitors, all of whom responded positively to the installation and the project as a whole. Documenting their reactions to the films was almost as enjoyable as the films themselves — watch this space for photos, video and stop-motion footage of the event in due course! We were particularly happy to see people who’d never heard of this collection, but who left raving about it and asking how they could come on board and get involved!

If you missed us today, please don’t worry — the event continues tomorrow (Friday 26th March) at the McEwan Hall in Bristo Square, Edinburgh. This time it’s our grand finale: an evening event at which the poets get a chance to take to the spotlight and read their works. The films will be screened throughout, and the whole thing will again be accompanied by our soundscape and brilliant improvised sounds from the spectacular CRA:CC ensemble. Our free merch stall will again be open for business, and there’ll also be free wine for anyone who turns up! Entry to the event is also totally free, and everyone is welcome. Doors open at 6.30pm and the readings kick off at 7pm. We really hope you’ll come and join us, and spread the word!

(this collection image by Marzieh Jarrahi.)

this collection’s FREE March McEwan Hall showcase!

Explore Edinburgh as you’ve never seen it before – come to our FREE poetry-film showcase extravaganza in the magnificent McEwan Hall!

We all know Edinburgh is the greatest literary city in the world – a centre of vibrant culture and home to the biggest, brightest, loudest and coolest annual arts festival ever. But how well do you really know Edinburgh? this collection is a non-profit DIY project that aims to take a fresh look at life in the city… through the eyes of its talented writers and filmmakers.

Last year we started out with 100 poems – each of 100 words or less, and each inspired by a different Edinburgh postcode. All these poems were submitted by Edinburgh writers of all walks of life; from award-winners like Brian McCabe and Alan Gillis to students, school children and talented first-time poets. From there, we worked to pair our poets up with local filmmakers, to create a collection of collaborative snapshots inspired by life in Edinburgh. Filmmakers have also come from all works of life – this collection has received responses from well-known professionals, but we’ve also gathered a great crop by running free public-access workshops, in which budding first-timers were given the chance to make an entire short film from scratch in only a few hours. The results have been by turns funny, beautiful, moving and dark, and we’re so proud of this collection so far that we want to share it with the world!

So on 25th and 26th March we’ll be showcasing all the collaborations we’ve gathered so far, in a truly awe-inspiring setting – the University of Edinburgh’s magnificent McEwan Hall. Thusday 25th will see an all-day film exposition from 10am-5pm in the hall’s main space, with films projected on several screens and a free press table where visitors can gather more information about our artists and the project as a whole. On Friday 26th we’ll be holding an evening event with live sets from poets, screenings of our films, and the chance to further explore this collection within the amazing McEwan Hall. You’ll also be able to find out more about how YOU can get involved in one of our collaborations. The entire event is free, and everyone is welcome to attend – the Friday evening event will also include free refreshment for visitors.

So come along and see Edinburgh through the eyes of its artists: see, hear, be inspired, get involved!

this collection March McEwan Hall showcase: Thursday 25th March 10am – 5pm / Friday 26th March 7pm – 9pm . FREE, all welcome.

See some of the films we’ll be showing here.

Poets reading at on Friday 26th from 7-9pm include:
Tom Bristow
Christine de Luca
Hayley Shields
Russell Jones
Andrew C Fergusson
Morgan Downie
Anita John
Andrew Philip
Rob A Mackenzie
Aileen Ballantyne
Jane McKie
Chris Lindores
Mairi Sharratt
Juliet Wilson
McGuire
Claire Askew
& more TBC!

(Photo by mikefranklin)

Filmmakers! Come and join this collection!

Are you a budding filmmaker? Want to get involved in a huge non-profit public access project in Edinburgh? Want to make a film that may end up being shown on the Edinburgh festival circuit? Come and find out more about this collection at our FREE speed-dating evening on Friday 5th March from 6.30pm at the Scottish Poetry Library.

It doesn’t matter what stage you’re currently at — maybe you’ve only just heard about this collection? Maybe you’ve visited our website and have a poem or poems in mind that you’d like to adapt? Maybe you’ve already started — maybe you attended one of our free film workshops? Or perhaps you have a completed film already under your belt. Wherever you are with the project, we’d love for you to come along to our poetry/filmmaking speed-dating event on Friday 5th March at the Scottish Poetry Library, starting at 6.30pm.

Basically, the event will be an opportunity for you to meet your poet — or, if you are not yet working on a specific poem — to find a poet you think you’d like to work with, and talk over your ideas. You’ll be able to speak with poets whose work you’ve earmarked for possible collaboration, as well as poets whose work you maybe haven’t seen yet. We’re hoping it’ll be a laid-back, fun and productive evening for all involved.

If you’d like to attend, you’ll need to:
— check out the 100 poems at http://thiscollection.org before you come along, and pick out any poem/s you think you’d really like to work with
— provide previous work (if you have it) so we can show the poets you’ll be meeting what kind of stuff you do (if you can, feel free to bring your own tech to play your videos from — or if you have clips online, respond by email (to film@thiscollection.com) with some links, and we’ll be able to play the footage for you)
— RSVP to film@thiscollection.com so we can get an idea of numbers (and the poet: filmmaker ratio)!

As well as giving you the chance to mingle with Scotland’s poetic rising stars and superstars, we’ll also be holding a raffle with covetable prizes up for grabs… including a state-of-the-art videocamera phone and a year’s supply of literature! The event is free and liquid refreshment will be provided.

So let us know if you can make it — please do try to come along at 6.30pm as we’re hoping to brief all the filmmakers prior to the poets arriving!

this collection poetry/filmmaking speed-dating event, 6.30pm on Friday 5th March, at the Scottish Poetry Library.

Hope to see you there!

Claire and Stefa
film@thiscollection.com

this collection: FREE all-day filmmaking workshops!

ROUND 2: DING DING
Fancy making a short film? Always wanted to try it but never knew how? Ever wondered if you could make a film using your mobile phone? Want to help us make our 100 poetry/film collaborations?

If you’re nodding right now, then good news — we can help! We’re on the lookout for budding filmmakers of all ages and levels of experience to help us adapt our 100 poems into 100 short films. In order to help you become part of the project, we’re running a series of FREE all-day filmmaking workshops in and around Edinburgh.

this collection wants to attract filmmakers from all walks of life — from experienced directors will Hollywood aspirations to those of you who’ve never got behind the camera before in your lives. We want our selection of films to be as wide and diverse as the city they celebrate, which is why we’re offering YOU a chance to make a short film for us.

Our FREE workshops aim to take you from absolutely nothing to a completed short film in the space just one day. Run by our experienced film co-ordinator Stefanie Tan, you’ll learn everything from the absolute basics of putting together your shots right through to editing your final short together. Stefa will show you how to make the most of the tech you’ve got (whether that’s a van-load of super-hi-tech equipment or just a phone with a video camera function), and give hints and tips on the best way to adapt your chosen poem. You’ll get the chance to go out and shoot your footage, and then learn how to edit it all together to make your film complete.

You don’t need any previous filmmaking experience, but if you have some, you can still come along — everyone’s welcome. You don’t need any fancy tech — again, just bring whatever you have and we’ll teach you how to use it to its full potential. You don’t have to come alone — if you have friends who are also interested in filmmaking, or if you want to work with a team, the more the merrier!

The second run of workshops will take place at Forest Cafe’s Upper Hall on 10th of April from 10am – 7pm. We are still waiting on confirmation in other venues but will keep you posted.
The workshops are totally FREE but we recommend bringing your own equipment ANY kind of camera device you may have, laptop if you have one and all relevant cables. Also please bring your own lunch (and snacks!) with you. Spaces are limited so if you’re interested in getting involved, drop us a line to film@thiscollection.com — we’ll also be able to help if you have questions or need more info!

Got a particular poem you want to adapt? Let us know in your email. If you want to get some ideas, you can check out all the poems on offer right here.

Can’t make these dates? Don’t worry — we’re hoping to run further workshops in the next couple of weeks, so watch this space!

Hope to see you there,

Claire & Stefa

Facilitator
Stefanie Tan is a University of Edinburgh first class honors graduate in English Literature with a Masters in Science in Design and Digital Media. She was an educator for 6 years, English, Literature, Drama and Philosophy. Tan has produced award winning collaborative youth films for public exhibition, notably THE SECRET OF HAPPY CHILDREN, creative video reflections on what school and home mean to 5 youth (Silver, Student Video Awards); and produced several award winning 24 hour film competition submissions. She has recently published a chapter about nurturing creative communities by employing digital video in the classroom. She has produced and edited trailers and sponsor segments for Television as an On Air Producer. She also exhibited and designed an installation art project: ATTENTION: an experimental film edited purely by eye-tracking technology. Her latest short film TROPHY 2009 was made in Canada and received at 3 international film festivals& a Rising Star Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the Canada International Film Festival in Vancouver 2010. She currently is a SORSAS funded PhD student at the Glasgow School of Art researching collective creativity and open microcommunity setups.

100 Poets: The Full List

100 Poems are here!

No. 1:Betwixt by Elaine Webster
No. 2: Lonely City by Jim Murdoch
No. 3: Mellis, Victoria Street by Vivien Jones
No. 4: To Edinburgh by Russell Jones
No. 5: Crags by Dave Coates
No. 6: Stopping by Stefanie Tan
No. 7: MacAdam’s Inventory O A Tourist Trap by Andrew Philip
No. 8: And Nothing Worth Remembering by Florian Raith
No. 9: The Piteous Pine by Florian Raith
No. 10: The Forgotten Orchard of Craiglockhart by Jonathan Memel
No. 11: The Guid Room by Angela Blacklock-Brown
No. 12: Tollcross by Dilys Rose
No. 13: Tarvit Street, 2am by Dilys Rose
No. 14: Edinburgh Summer by Norman Bissett
No. 15: The Fringe by Miha Pintaric
No. 16: Going Home by Aiko Harman
No. 17: Between Lauriston Gardens and Lauriston Park by Aiko Harman
No. 18: Union Canal by Vicki Allardice
No. 19: Cafe Life Slice by Jean Atkin
No. 20: At Greyfriars Bobby’s Pub by Ken Pobo
No. 21: It by Brian McCabe
No. 22: Buddha by Brian McCabe
No. 23: Great Junkie Street Aye by JL Williams
No. 24: Edinburgh Haiku by Alan Gay
No. 25: First Aid in the Botanic Gardens by Alan Gay
No. 26: Niddrie by Claire Askew
No. 27: The Number 31 bus taken from Lasswade by Nicholas Goodrick
No. 28: Animal Haven by Juliet M Wilson
No. 29: The Business of Ravens by Roxanne Paris
No. 30: The Septuagenarian and the Quartermile by Roxanne Paris
No. 31: Corstorphine, Midnight by Rob A Mackenzie
No. 32: Lady Edinburgh by Tatjana Pfennig
No. 33: Rebels of this timeless town by Niki Ανδρικοπούλου
No. 34: View over Nicolson Street by Benjamin Dahlbeck
No. 35: Portobello by Morgan Downie
No. 36: Scene by Morgan Downie
No. 37: Anonymous by Dan Mussett
No. 38: From Saturday to Monday by Jason Monios
No. 39: Happy Birthday Hole by Jason Monios
No. 40: Morningside by Andrew C Fergusson
No. 41: Newington, EH9 by Andrew C Fergusson
No. 42: Gallows-birds and Graveyards by Hayley Shields
No. 43: January by Hayley Shields
No. 44: Southside II & III by Lauren Pope
No. 45: Perfume by Magnus Huntly-Grant
No. 46: His Side O The Story (Forthview Primary) by Simon Jackson
No. 47: Landlocked in the Port of Leith by Simon Jackson
No. 48: Postcode by Becca Hotchen
No. 49: An Edinburgh Invitation by Sue Armstrong
No. 50: Festive, All by Greg Whelan
No. 51: After the last tattoo by Christie Williamson
No. 52: Calton Hill by Antonia Leslie
No. 53: Ardmillan Lullaby by Mary Grundy
No. 54: 33 by Jonny Stockford
No. 55: Newington Road by Jonny Stockford
No. 56: Currie by Dorothy Baird
No. 57: Broken by Robyn Archer
No. 58: Transformation by Christine de Luca
No. 59: Edinburgh Volte-Face by Christine de Luca
No. 60: Telepathy by Tom Bristow
No. 61: Ministry of Memory by Tom Bristow
No. 62: Dùn Éideanns by Martin Mac an t-Saoir
No. 63: Imlach by Andrew Greig
No. 64: Scotland by Andrew Greig
No. 65: The Hanging Stanes by Sam Meekings
No. 66: To The Man Sleeping on Nicolson Square by Ellie Blow
No. 67: Conspiracy of Buses by Jane McKie
No. 68: La Plage by Jane McKie
No. 69: Broughton Street by Jess Winch
No. 70: The Castle by Mairi Sharratt
No. 71: Lunchtime in Leith by Martin Raymond
No. 72: How does a bookies have a sale anyway? by Chris Lindores
No. 73: The Pubic Triangle by Chris Lindores
No. 74: Walls by Fiona Morrison
No. 75: Where it lies by Struan Robertson
No. 76: The River At Cramond by Aileen Ballantyne
No. 77: John Knox’s Grave by Aileen Ballantyne
No. 78: Cables by Kate Charles
No. 79: Mary King’s Close by Aileen Lobban
No. 80: Edin Unfurling by Gemma White
No. 81: The Windy City by Kat Maher
No. 82: Tradesmen Visit by Finlay Gall
No. 83: Waking up with Edinburgh by Helle Häng
No. 84: Jawbone Walk by Julia Sanchez
No. 85: Circus Lane by Ivan Landers
No. 86: Sweet Sandy by McGuire
No. 87: Scarlet by Roddy Lumsden
No. 88: On an Old Scots Dictionary by Robby Lumsden
No. 89: The Summer of EH26 by Anita John
No. 90: After the Festival by Anita John
No. 91: A Recipe for Whisky by Ron Butlin
No. 92: A Lifetime by Ron Butlin
No. 93: A Winter Walk Along Lauriston Place by Lara Barbier
No. 94: Aig Dachaidh/At Home by Aonghas Macneacail
No. 95: Dead Plastic Crow by Aonghas Macneacail
No. 96: Princes Street by Alan Gillis
No. 97: Class by Irene Brown
No. 98: Same place, different view by Anna Dickie
No. 99: Overflow by Priscilla Chueng-Nainby
No. 100: Detained by Struan Robertson

How many have you read?

Detained by Struan Robertson

Title: Detained
Author: Struan Robertson
Number: 100/100
Allocated postcode: EH8

Detained

Standing downstairs in the cells
at St. Leonards Police Station,
I turn and watch my father’s profile,
whiskied head held high
as he argues with our captors –
his chin jutting, his arms
the stubborn folded arms of a child.

I wonder, mentally comparing behaviour
and baby-photos, how similar we are,
and remember that the cells we share
are not just those we share tonight.

But later, as he preaches at me
through his single-malt smog,
I forget our blue eyes and cheekbones
as our cells forget their domestic bond
in handcuffs, half-bottles and nights like these.