There are a handful of books on my poetry shelves which I often pick out and browse through. These tend to be ones that inspire me, ones that seem to tap into differing sides of my own personal mythology; these include Simic’s translations of Vasko Popa; John Burnside; Billy Chyldish; and Helen Ivory.

So, today I’m delighted to include two poems from Helen Ivory’s 2010 collection, The Breakfast Machine. What appeals to me most about this collection is how Ivory twists the world a fraction of a degree so that we look at it with a skewed perspective; it’s reminiscent of Czech Surrealism where the folkloric becomes everyday and the inanimate becomes animate.

You can read more about Helen Ivory at her own website HERE

If you enjoy these two poems and want to read more then you can purchase the whole collection at BLOODAXE BOOKS

And if you would like to have your own poetry featured here in The Churchyard then feel free to get in touch. Details can be found . . . HERE.