All of us, as halves
of selves, twists of DNA, must have been
five times each around the world, so I –
as demi-curl of chromosome – have buzzed
over Blackheath Common on Raymond’s bike
as the evening settled, and the sun embered
down over Woolwich.
– from ‘On Raymond’s Bike’
In ten extraordinary poems, Susie Gordon records a journey from her home on the Lancashire coast to the inner-city neighbourhoods of South London – to rediscover the family who gave her up for adoption at birth. Peckham Blue is a poignant and compelling meditation on the themes of exile, identity and memory, and an assured debut pamphlet by one of English poetry’s most talented newcomers.
‘Poems that are in turn funny and serious, revealing a writer who gives a poignant take on the theme of identity.’
Patricia Prime, New Hope International
‘This work explores what happens when the origin story is fragmented or unclear … far from melodramatic, it plays its emotional cards wisely, turning them over perhaps when one is least prepared. It is a subtle, moving, and vibrant collection: an artful piece of poetry and a compelling autobiography.’
Ben Hoare
