GRAVY

from Freak Sonnets for Lusus Naturae at Bartholomew Fair: Natural-Born, Man Made and Counterfeit

Miss Sidonia married twice then retired
a very wealthy woman who lived a long life

When Nicu was twelve days old God sent me
the downy fuzz that sprouted into this chestnut-
coloured beard. I will not take it off! How else
would you, the hoi polloi notice me? Not quite
wolf, this capricious fork in the course of evolution
is a church of marvels, an edifice fashioned for
your insistent titillation that has made me rich.
So if this visage is to be my inheritance, let it be
a diamond in the sty, a lure to hook into the lip
of the mob. This hirsute stunner means I cheated
death, I fought and won. I am a sight to silence
the baying crowd and I believe in beating my own
gong. That makes me beautiful and owing no favours.
I bow now to the deities who gambol in my whiskers.

This poem – which appears in Gravy #1 – is by Dzifa Benson, a poet, journalist and dramatist based in London. Why not wander over to dzifabenson.com to find out more?

The illustration is by Lee Hybrid Desire. Discover more of their wonderful work at hybriddesire.com