On the first day of my new freedom
I purchased a book of poetry
These were the works of Lord Byron
Who I admired greatly
However in between the soft pages
Of this scruffy scuffed book
I found a number of newspaper reviews
Dating back over fifty years
One of which noted that the poets preoccupation
with incest in his tragedies sprang from his affair
with his half sister and I quote
Yet he took to her I believe because
she enjoyed making jokes and making love
in defiance of a taboo was unimportant
except as an afterthought
My sister with and I live in a coastal house
Which has views of France on sharp clear days
She did not care for the works of my cherished poet
And thought that him crude and an unpleasant man
Yes when I was ill in hospital last year
She secreted a small lavender envelope
Containing her pubic hair under my pillow
I later had this envelope stitched
Into the lining of my best tweed jacket
Near to the hollow echoes of my aching heart
Rebecca Tonks 2021