A Bathroom for Wallace Stevens
by Phil Davey
On the double-deep folds
of the emerald towel
on the white-lacquered seat
of the four-legged stool
at an easy reach
from the cool enamel
“Phenomenology of Spirit”
by Hegel
The room seems vacant
the mirror has been cleaned
Halos (halogens)
gleam from the ceiling
A bass-toned fan
hums wisps of steam
above the shower’s
translucent screening
What on earth
is this world’s meaning?
Hieratic mutters
swerve in their word-paths
off track by miles
Caught short by gravity
the cistern splutters
A leaf of two-ply
flutters to the tiles
Phil Davey has dual British and New Zealand citizenship. His poems have been published in a number of magazines, including Oxford Poetry Now, Poetry London/Apple Magazine and Illuminations. He has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of New Brunswick in Canada. After a number of years in Oxford, Trieste, London, Milan and Brussels, he now lives with his wife Chiara in Varese in the north of Italy.