Guest Poem by Robert Stein

Robert Stein’s first collection The Very End of Air appeared in 2011. As well as appearing in Acumen, his poems have been published in Poetry Review, Poetry London, Agenda, The Rialto, Ambit and elsewhere. ‘Margo Szonyi in her Last Year’ was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize 2021.

Finis

This is it: the final leaving,
The stars loitering and out of luck.
The dice ceased rolling. All numbers up.

This is the gone at the end of going,
The rotted apple after knowing.
The box nailed. The straw. The shut.

The trap tripped, sprung through and up.
The downward course from the hilltop.
The clever white pill. The – The .