Beyond Paradise Poetry by Lesbians and Gay Men

Beyond Paradise was Commonword’s third anthology of LGBT+ writing.

Memories and fantasies mingle with the excitement – and traumas – of real relationships which range from romance in exotic settings to more intimate moments shared between lovers. This lively poetry from twenty lesbian and gay writers encompasses an impressive range of styles and situations.

‘Touching and real accounts of being in love and losing it’ – Tallulah Howarth, archive volunteer

Just Friends

I say
I’ve got over you when
I’ve slipperysoaped your skin found
your mouth in a stream of water watched
the bubbling well between our four breasts
again

when we say we have dried each other’s thighs
and you say that’s far enough
and I throw down the towel and suddenly
we’re kissing and throwing
fire down each other’s throats
again

I say
I’ve got over you because
I can happily be with you loving
the light way our limbs plait
themselves together on the sofa
like cats in front of my fire as we talk
for hours forgetting
to eat until
it’s so late we decide to share
my bed with our T-shirts
on and tampons in still
just
friends

and all night it seems
I dream of you
in your fine new house
as I spill shoeboxes

of my past
on your floor
crying with frustration
without
being
heard

Cora Greenhill