wonder/ful
Daniel Sluman

two fingers pinched against the present
that thrums through your neck      morning
birdsong caught in your throat     the ceiling
opens its refrain of tired yellow     the breeze
fluttering the window-latch      by the curtain
that lifts & falls so softly     & this is life
& death      in its two clear movements
the thump of your galloping heart
tells you that each wonder-
fucked second is vital
you are so full of living
but you may die right now
right now you may die
& how wonderful is that

Daniel Sluman is a 30-year-old poet and disability rights activist. He co-edited the award-winning disability anthology FTW: Poets against Atos, and was named one of Huffington Post’s Top 5 British Poets to Watch in 2015. His second collection the terrible was published by Nine Arches Press last year, and he is currently co-editing a new anthology of disability poetry, as well as preparing for a PhD at Birmingham City University in 2017. This poem was previously published by The Literateur.

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