I could forget it all on evenings like this–
your names, addresses, even our relations.
Everything could be taken from me
by the lights of the city in this kind of weather.
The process has something to do with the buildings,
but there is also the matter of all the people.
How many there are… Do we know? Can we trust the data?
The dogs at the borders, lapping it up,
must surely have their own reasons.
And there are dogs wherever a line is drawn.
The map on my phone tells me, not only my location,
but that I am only a quarter of an hour
from a drink. And that is all the news
right now that I can handle.

*

Will, along with fellow poet-in-residence Martha Sprackland, Adelle Stripe, and MC John Andrews, will be reading in Hull this Sunday, as part of the Neu! Reekie! take-over at Hull 2017 UK City of Culture. Our slot begins at 3:30pm, and is free to attend, but booking is essential. Ticket information and event details can be found here. We’d love it if you could join us.

The full Neu! Reekie! programme is here.