Aysar Ghassan

Men Who Can Do More Than Fifteen Press Ups
Are Far Less Likely To Have A Heart Attack

In my wallet lives
a photograph of my world 
which I carefully tore out 
of a periodical at the dentist’s.
He's got her teeth!
I gloat as I bare mine 
to every checkout assistant.

On our second date 
I gifted her contact lenses 
with stars etched in,
plucking out those 
which only showed drizzle. 
Still, she is rapt. With chin 
propped up on forearm,
she feeds me with that 
new car smell. I have exorcised 
her fear of terrorism.

The builders have finished 
the loft conversion, coming in 
on time and well under budget.
Everyone now wishes 
they had ordered my sizzler dish.
We are ready for bed.
The TV salutes,
forever on standby.

Aysar Ghassan lives in the West Midlands. His poems have been published in journals including Magma, The Lampeter Review, Poetry Birmingham, Strix, Under the Radar, Washington Square Review and The Scores, and in anthologies such as Diversifly (Fair Acre Press). In 2019 he was poet in residence at The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum and represented Coventry in the Coventry-Cork Poetry Exchange. Aysar is currently a Dynamo mentee with Nine Arches Press.