“The coal in his eyes, in his ears, on his lips, in tears/ that cleansed his corneas, in fingernails. The coal…”
Poem of the Week (9 July), by Somendra Singh Kharola.
“…neither time nor God belongs to anyone./ The birds know this as they peck ruby seeds/ from fenced-in pomegranate trees…” Weekend Poem, by Jacqueline Balderrama.
“But by sundown their empathy has its limit for me…/a jew to be despised.” Weekend poem, by Arturo Desimone.
“Back in the pale end of winter/ Rosso looked at me as if he couldn’t quite remember/ who I was…” Weekend poem, by Rowland Bagnall.
“Lead me not into unforced errors./ Let me not be despatched into oblivion/ By a fresh-faced opponent—unseeded, unknown…” Shanta Acharya marks the start of Wimbledon 2014 with a tennis player’s prayer.