Guest Poem by Joan McGavin

Joan McGavin has two poetry books published by Oversteps Books: Flannelgraphs (2011) and Passing Arcadia Close (2017). A third volume is near completion. She was a Hawthornden Fellow, and Hampshire Poet (2014) during which time she edited an anthology of Hampshire-based poets: Hogwords. She taught Creative Writing at the University of Winchester, and was a trustee of Winchester Poetry Festival. She gained a Ph.D. in English (Creative Writing) from Southampton University in 2020. See entry in www.poetrypf.co.uk. This poem is from Acumen 110.

In Praise of the Clearers-Away

who when the tree falls across the road
come with their winches and chainsaws and hard hats;
who when the nappy needs changed, the bedpan emptied
come with sense of smell deliberately dulled;
who when floods recede leaving mud floors and stench
set to with a will, with brooms and binbags;
who when and wherever at last they’re needed
come with soft touch to wash and to shroud.

They’re largely unseen. We overlook them.
But I keep this in mind: the clearers-away
may be in their turn in high water, hell,
shout out at the top of their voices for help,
pleading the rest of us take such matters –
yes – into our own hands.