All Wrapped Up by Barney Ashton-Bullock

what sort of shuffle-puck mascu-identity

were you intent to buy into

in the ‘reduced to clear’ aisles

of Primark transcentral?

poly-cotton, puttied-armpit, sweat-pig?

unbreathable fabric; allegedly, unethically,

sweat-shop stitched?

furtive shirting hoarder

with ne’er l’occasione to wear’ em!

is it a one-remove, genial, Jermyn Street

gentlemanliness you hanker?

is it all in the massprod machined detail?

the finesse of yoke, cloth, cut, collar, cuff

or the pretence thereof

that leaves you clanging, flat, forsaken?

a deficit of hunk the attire conspires to cure, Sir?

this alchemic classic fit, non-iron, mascu-bag, Sir?

another Diablo all wrapped up

in cutaway collar, Windsor knot.

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Barney Ashton-Bullock is widely published in cult poetry journals. His latest poetry pamphlet ‘Café Kaput!’ is published by Broken Sleep Books. He is the poet/librettist in the ‘Andy Bell is Torsten’ queer music-theatre-poetry collective and narrates his own verse on various Downes Braide Association albums. Twitter: @barney_poetry