Adventurer
His is not a little life,
caged, safe behind parkgates;
instead he lives unbuttoned.
Bootstuds still muddied up,
playing yo-yo on the peg,
tired legs still kicking.
An extra sense
for where the zest is,
he hunts relentless.
He sees what marks us
is what makes us
and what he knows is this:
All that matters
is where the heart is,
all else is periphery.
Harry Gallagher has been published by, among others, IRON Press, Smokestack, The Interpreter’s House and Prole. His most recent book ‘Running Parallel’ (2019) was co-authored with p.a.morbid for Black Light Engine Room Press. He runs the Tyne & Wear stanza of the Poetry Society and is currently working on a commission from the BBC for National Poetry Day 2019.