New Poetry by Kate Clarke

The Dark End of The Street

(for Alyce Guynn)

Your sister, Alyce, reminded me 

what, in my grief, I had forgotten.

And later on, I came to see 

myself, in some film of you, 

New Jersey, a radio interview.

You were heading for Hoboken, 

chasing down Frank’s shadow.

It was shot a month before we met 

The month you called ‘Magnetic May’.

There you were, chattering away 

in the studio, being the performer, 

talking of Nashville, Cowboy Jack Clement: 

“his battered boots were alligator.”

And there it was. There he was. 

Bruised boy, flimsy as gauze, 

voice subdued, heart a lead weight.

What was it you used to say?

“I was singing on the sad side of the note.”

We were at the dark end of the street,

for sure, right at the start. 

It didn’t take long for you to stand taller

Didn’t Alyce say: “I found my jazz”?

The man in black, discovered colour. 

I did that. You did that too. 

Look at what two fools can do 

- © Kate Clarke 2020

Kate is a journalist by trade who also works as a copywriter and a PR account manager. As a lyricist she worked with her husband, the writer and performer Terry Clarke. Terry recorded and performed throughout the UK, Europe and the US throughout his career. He passed away in April 2020. Kate lives in West Wales with their two sighthounds, Sunny and Vera. 

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