A Poem by Jessica Mookherjee

Excellent Nature

Monster, I made your face gigantic and vinyl,
a wider, more dangerous version of my own, watched
as all your broken pieces were thrown
in all directions at once.
To give all of us something to aim for
and call it nature, call it excellent, I ached
for what you did when I pressed
down firm on your belly.
You were built for seeping. I just wanted a doll
to shake, that could cry real tears.
The mark at the back of your neck was provenance
along with the designer dress.
I had been burying all the versions I’d lost,
over the years, watering the garden
with bits of moon-flesh, incantations, bones
and injections, then I called you home, tracked
down all your missing parts and mechanisms
in the library of unrequited loves as if I would
never be lonely again. My monster,
you were my home.

Jessica Mookherjee is a widely published poet. She has twice been highly commended in the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem and her work is included in notable anthologies such as Staying Human (Bloodaxe). She is the author of two full collections, and her second Tigress (Nine Arches Press), was shortlisted for best second collection in the Ledbury Munthe Poetry Prize. Her latest pamphlet is Playlists (Broken Sleep Books) and her third collection, Notes from a Shipwreck, was published in 2022 by Nine Arches Press. She is a co-editor of Against the Grain Press.