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21st July, 2023

Friday Poem: Hospital Corners by Hannah Hodgson

An empty hospital corridor. At the far end are some blurry people dressed in blue scrubs.

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘Hospital Corners’ by Hannah Hodgson from her collection 163 Days which recently won the Wordsworth Prize for Literature and Poetry at Lakeland Book of the Year 2023.

Hospital Corners

The dying are judged
by how cheery they are,
their lack of moaning –
for not becoming a ghost
before strictly allowed.

Their faces are pottery
spun, pliable, damp,
readying themselves
for fire. Nervousness
lost, unclipped,

identification forged.
Close your eyes.
Hand over your body.
In the end, everything’s
cliché, except holding hands.