One Poem by Dr Stephen Paul Wren

 

Bad Blood

 

Joy of orbits                         you make Earth tilt              and bake the sun

do not depart                        stay in this room                  it is too soon

Doctors of note                    please save the world           and sickly skins

draw out bad blood              for it poisons                        bad blood is still red

So, look deeper                    find the markers                   swap the cancer

for benign cells                    for better blood                    let the light in

Keep her soul here               wedded to life                      then it hit me

 

bad blood is lank                 it is too rich                          it hangs around 

I shun the trade                    her soul for ours                   too big a price?

just drain off blood              the sick, bad blood               leave us alone

 

Dr Stephen Paul Wren studied at Cambridge and worked in industry for many years. He transitioned back into academia at Oxford before joining Kingston University in 2018 where he works as a Senior lecturer. 

Stephen’s poetry can be read at www.stephenpaulwren.wixsite.com/luke12poetry and you

can find him on Twitter @Stephen34343631. His book ‘Formulations’ (co-written with Dr Miranda Lynn Barnes) was published by Small Press in 2022. His 'A celestial crown of Sonnets' (co-written with Dr Sam Illingworth) was published by Penteract Press in 2021. Stephen's poetry has appeared in 14 magazine, Marble Broadsheet, Consilience, Tears in the Fence and Dreich magazine.