By Philip Hancock
An assortment of sticks
sprouts from a five litre tin
on the work bench.
Plonked in anyhow
after stirring up paint,
they steep in a sediment
of turpentine and paint skins.
I pick one out: holly green –
the last colour it mixed –
clotted, knobbly, glistening,
an accidental Giacometti.
PHILIP HANCOCK was born in Newchapel, Stoke-on-Trent. His debut pamphlet Hearing Ourselves Think (Smiths Knoll, 2009) was a Guardian Book of the Year and his most recently collection City Works Dept. was published by CB editions in 2018. His work has appeared in publications like The Forward Book of Poetry 2019 (Faber & Faber), The New Statesman, Oxford Magazine, Poetry London, and The Poetry Review.
Art by Autumn Clarke