(Untitled)
Oscar had faith in me; I sang without breaks,
effortlessly reached the highs and lows, was
the voice on the love songs he wrote for his wife.
When he fell in love with me, he bought me
a bamboo flute, highly polished, an object of art.
I didn’t have the patience to produce the notes—
I was all bluster, impatience, a tabla drum beat—
the beautiful gift was wasted on me. I propped
the flute in the corner of my Maida Vale flat;
left it behind when I moved. I lose everything
except memories— I carry them everywhere.
Karen Little (kazvina) has exhibited her art internationally, and is widely published as a writer in the UK and further afield. Her latest publication is the illustrated pamphlet, Dissecting an Artist (2019) with The Black Light Engine Room Press.