I BEAR WITNESS

when they threw
me from the building
the world warped
and stretched like toffee

when they threw
me from the building
I fell like Alice
wind in my skirts

to land in wonder
when they threw
me from the building
I grew wings

when they threw
me from the building
the air in my ears roared
deafening angelic harmonies
to perfection

when they threw me
from the building
it wasn’t nearly so
high as I thought
little more than a kerbstone

all depth is a trick of perspective
I concluded cheerfully and picked
myself up and walked away

when they threw
me from the building
I landed on my feet
I caught the bus
got caught in the rain but
made it to the party

my eye betrayed me and
I did not pluck it out
my hand betrayed me and
I did not strike it off

when they threw me
from the building
it was all of me
that landed

when they threw
me from the building

I was freer
than they were

when they threw
me from the building
my first cry and my last
was Love

By James M’Kay

Biography:

James M’Kay has been involved in the UK spoken word scene for nearly 20 years, since before it was even really a thing. He started semi-legendary DIY cabaret night Home Cooking in Newcastle, and went on to be a key team member at Utter! Spoken Word during its pioneering London seasons and Edinburgh Fringe shows from 2009-2012. His solo poetry show The Boy with the Moomin Tattoo debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015 and is set to return next year; Very Friendly Weapon, his second collection of poems, will be published by Burning Eye Books also in 2018. Welcomes Twitter contact (@quietcircus).