Born into an Eastern religious cult and raised by feral dogs on a small Greek island whose waters were patrolled by Albanian gun-boats. Introduced to the Sapphic joys by a lesbian naturist with a motorbike. Taught self to read and did a degree in Old English Literature. Jobs have included cowboy, chambermaid, dam-builder, shawl-maker, farmhand, vet, zookeeper, proofreader, table dancer, book seller, ghostwriter. Now living in the wilds of Scotland, in a stone gatehouse full of abandoned animals.
You were my shadow in the darkness
of the kneading-trough.
I taught you to speak, to love;
named you for the child I lost,
...
October's dying, and I'm looking for a friend,
A kindred spirit I've mislaid
Somewhere between a grief and recollection.
This bus - an any bus - pulls up,
...
Trudging the marsh,
Looking for dragonflies, watersnails, tadpoles;
My breath sucked at the April mist-water,
My boots grew gills;
...
In case I am marooned on a desert island,
I'll equip myself with twine, a Swiss army knife,
And Ray Mears.
I'll bring sandals, blankets,
...