Fiona Larkin

An Interview with u

What first drew you to Q?

We seemed to be an exact fit. I only had to look at Q to see a reaching out. 

Did it work well for you both, as a couple?

A qualified success. An initial quiver of connection —  but lord, Q was needy. 
A kind of queasiness overtook me.
And then of course … 

… you encountered N. What did you see in N?

N - n - intimate, no ceremony. I looked at n and saw myself in another light, 
a flipped twin, just enough difference to bind us tight. Unity meant u&n.

Ah, perfect!

Until we realised our strength, our power to change things for the worse. 
We rode in and annulled a universe.

How so?

We’re a reminder of what’s lost, but more than that. 
Unpitying involves remorselessness, not just a lack of pity. 
There’s something filthy in unclean, estrangement in unreconciled. 
And so we galloped, headlong, cutting down. 

Until?

Under the unrisen sun, a cold look. We cancelled each other out.

And now, you’re moving on?

To pool my luck with W.

And this will be different?

Listen, all boundaries dissolve with W. I’m marrying myself.

Fiona Larkin’s poems have been Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes 2019, shortlisted for the Bridport and Aesthetica awards, and feature in journals and anthologies, including Magma, The North, Perverse, The Tangerine, Under the Radar, Best New British and Irish Poets 2018 and In Transit: Poems of Travel (Emma Press). She organises multi-media poetry events with Corrupted Poetry. https://fionalarkinpoetry.wordpress.com