Young Poet: Callum McGee

Callum McGee is a passionate BA creative writing student at Edge Hill University. His short horror story was published  in the official EHU magazine/newspaper, the Quack’s blog.  Callum writes poetry tackling societal issues such as pollution, class discrimination and inequality. He believes poetry is an expression of one’s feelings and should be used to help people. Callum uses his past school trauma to fuel  his creativity by creatively tackling themes of bullying in his  poetry and showcasing the flaws of the education system  and the overall flaws of modern society.

Withered church of Ormskirk

God’s stone temple returns to weed
brittle bricks of busted bones slant sideways
a shadow of its former self, glass sockets empty, shrivelled foundations

Green veins entwine brown vessels
solid clots collect dust, splintery bones wither away
Satan’s shadow flushes God’s light, Hell’s gateway spawns of fallen faith

Organisms eat away sacred stone
earth eating rotten wood, stone skeletal remains
dried blood hardens under soil, faithful bones decaying with a corpse church

Winter frost spreads inside an empty hall
the house of God a forgotten mortuary, head stones eaten away
Angel’s tears seep through wet stone, clusters of feasting fungus fester foul spread

Cold sanctuary for his scavenging pets
the Lord’s palace gathers moss, sprouting silky snow drops
tapestries torn, bench cushions swarmed, woodlice gorge on splintery feasts

Empty tower, silent bell, stone shell without soul
heaven’s light illuminates its icy depths, warming a frozen heart
the body dies, the Holy Spirit flies, a stone shell left behind faith flourishes outside

Council houses of Anfield

Dismissed
soldiers stand in lines,
their corpses hollowed, insides torn out, left to rot,
bolted up tight, leaves pile up in unkempt streets, suffocating sewers
leaking over pavements, history stains, slathered walls,
light brown decays coffin muck, shadows of the past,
inhabitants far beyond the grave, rags and rough pass
emptied wasted sanctuaries, impossible, impenetrable
inexcusable to justify, wasted space, people left to die

Shadows
occupy the damned, creator forsakes them
the sharp point seals their fate, swish, flick, there’s no going
back, their hard skin feels no showers, the nip of frost is barely a tickle,
a ghost street sings a silent chorus, squeals of night
memories reduced to rubble, creations of destruction,
silent laughter, praying fades, damned to death row
old, shrivelled stones gather grime, muck and slime,
round reapers swing away, charred black bone breakers,
corporate cap snuffs out final flickers, to earthly rubble