Patrick Williamson

Near Paris, France

Patrick Williamson has notably published three poetry collections with Samuele Editore from Pordenone, in English-Italian and translated by Guido Cupani: Traversi (2018), Beneficato (2015), and Nel Santuario (2013); the latter won the special jury prize in the XV Concorso Guido Gozzano, 2014. Editor and translator of The Parley Tree, Poets from French-speaking Africa and the Arab World, Arc Publications, 2012. Founding member of transnational literary agency Linguafranca.

Poem completed 28th April 2020

 Before the clapping starts

 There they are again, the walkers

under the trees at twilight, when

the day is done, and the runners

pounding down silent roads, and

dogs padding along, straining at

the leash, and the clouds are

gathering, it's been another cold

day today as if autumn is upon us

as the sky is so dark, the weather is

turning, the tide is turning, one

of which is true, but there is a long

way to go and, like me, the trees

are immobile as if afraid to be

shaken by the winds, come out,

step out, reopen, move, but is it

time you say