Battered companion,
your face a map of hurt
no tear consoles.
Closest friend,
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it would be so much harder
without you.
You come and go,
punchdrunk,
proud of your scars.
Always ready
for one more round,
wanting the night
never to end.
Golden bowl,
no matter how broken.
Mark Roper's collection A Gather of Shadows ( Dedalus Press ) was on the shortlist for this year's Irish Times Poetry Now Award. The Backstrand, a collaboration with photographer Paddy Dwan, is due this autumn.
