Hilary Watson

You Can’t Spell Hope Without Leslie Knope

Jettison the treeline. Jettison dark alleys
where lurking could happen.

“Damn, can’t you do anything
wrong, Jerry?” the plaid clad woman

is staring at you, a carousel of ice skates
rotating behind her head.

“The windows are the eyes to the house,”
says the man holding the three-legged dog.

2012. One short but pretty luxurious walk
across ice. Let’s hoik with optimism

onto the stage. You’ve got one moment
to wake from the dream where fear manifests,

where lip skin can
stay on your face.

Hilary Watson lives in Cardiff. She studied at the University of Warwick and was a Jerwood/Arvon Mentee. Her poems have appeared in Poetry Wales, Magma and Poetry Birmingham. She was commended in the York Poetry Prize 2021 and shortlisted in the Live Canon 2022 prize. Twitter @poetryhilary. Hilarywatson.co.uk