SHAM

Gwen Sayers


Malingerer/ tag applied by Dad/ my father in heaven said/ malingue

malign/ nein/ maladjusted/ malfeasance/ of faisant/ an act/ bad act/ 

gib uns heute unser täglich brot/ not a lot/ too much bread/ foie de gras/ 

makes a fat cat/ fatted calf/ fatling/ fatality/ Jack Sprat’s wife/ fatuous/

born me/ a woman/ emasculated man/ drag king/ emperor’s clothes/ 

propagator/ egg-shedder/ self-shredder/ needy/ needer of men 

to feed/ breed/ lack/ matter of action/ you can fool some people 

all the time/ those in high places/ you can tell them anywhere/ 

but can’t tell them anything/ little boy blue come blow your horn/ 

the sheep’s in the meadow/ the cow is forlorn/

you can fool all the people some of the time/ those who accept labels/ 

badges/ titles/ entitlement/ claims/ claimant’s call/ cry/ clammer/

conman/ con-woman/ con-both/ convince/ cunning/ conned/ 

you can’t fool all the people all the time/ not when you’re wrong/

crooked/ twisted/ nie reg nie/ incorrect/ erroneous/ wolf 

in sheep’s clothing/ poisoned chalice in the closet of life.

Gwen Sayers’ poems have appeared in magazines including Tears in the Fence, DMQ Review, Magma, Under the Radar, Unbroken Journal, Ink Sweat & Tears, and Acumen. She won the Magma Poetry Competition in 21/22 (Judge’s prize), and was shortlisted in Buzzwords Poetry Competition and the Flambard Poetry Prize among other competitions.