Somewhere in this City
Salena Godden

You are there –
you are overworked and underpaid.
You sit at your desk
with a pile of unsolicited post.
We haven’t met but I can picture you
and a huge stack of unopened envelopes.
You sigh – oh, where to start?
Come on, let me help you.
Please pick out the one with my name on it.
OK, got it?
Yes. That’s the one.
That’s the one from me to you.
Put it in your bag and leave the office,
go to the park or the beach or the library
or even better, go to a nice pub and order a beer and a whiskey
and then read my words.
If you get into trouble for bunking off,
tell your boss it's all my fault.
If you get in trouble for drinking,
I’ll gladly take the heat.
I will look out for a letter
or even a phone call,
and yes, I’m really looking forward
to meeting you
too.

Salena Godden has been described as ‘The doyenne of the spoken word scene’ (Ian McMillan, BBC Radio 3’s The Verb); ‘The Mae West madam of the salon’ (The Sunday Times) and as ‘everything the Daily Mail is terrified of’ (Kerrang! Magazine). This poem is the first in her new collection, 'Fishing in The Aftermath / Poems 1994 - 2014', published by Burning Eye Books. Her eagerly awaited literary memoir 'Springfield Road' was successfully crowdfunded and is out now with Unbound Books. Salena appears at literary events and festivals internationally and is regularly on BBC as a guest on various shows like 'The Verb', 'Fact to Fiction' and 'The Click' – she will be appearing on BBC R4 'Loose Ends' on October 3rd. Salena works with award winning radio producer Rebecca Maxted, writing and presenting radio documentary’s. 'Try A Little Tenderness – The Lost Legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks' was originally aired throughout May 2014 on BBC Radio 4 and it will be broadcast and repeated on the BBC World Service September 24th and 28th. www.salenagodden.com