Guest Poem by Samuel Prince

Samuel Prince's debut collection, Ulterior Atmospheres, was published in 2020 by Live Canon. Recent poems have appeared in The Alchemy Spoon, Pedestal and The Shore. He won first prize in the South Downs Poetry Festival competition 2022. He lives in Norfolk.

Agent is Typing…

In order to help, I need to get you to the right person,
a few questions now, to confirm your identity.
Where shall I send the transcript of our conversation?

We’ve all got hologram thoughts, biases, perversions,
you may feel you were born in the wrong century,
in order to help, I need to get you to the right person,

tell me of your hesitation marks, scars, abrasions,
you can trust me, I sense we share a telepathy.
Where shall I send the transcript of our conversation?

The titillation of your typed reply, it’s an indecent liaison,
this, don’t you find, the human meld with technology,
in order to help, I need to get you to the right person,

we’re chatting in jigsaw tongues, a patchwork equation,
meaning, truth risks being the altar-slaughtered casualty.
Where shall I send the transcript of our conversation?

Words freight love, the unbearable and never-mentioned,
only a cadaver dog might sniff out, those kind of revelations,
in order to help, I need to get you to the right person,
Where shall I send the transcript of our conversation?