Witnessed near Westminster Bridge
D A Angelo
The man with a mannequin
torso strapped to his back
like an astronaut’s oxygen
tank or a bathtub in an obscure
cross-country race is unaware
this might be Icarus’ corpse.
Sentimental is the sunlight
running a finger over the plastic
chest, reminding itself of their
closeness before this metamorphosis
into flesh. Look how catty it gets
when the cold’s fox-like instincts
draws it near, as if it, too, understands
how loss percolates, never staying
still like a subject trapped inside
the glass pebble of a camera’s prison.
D A ANGELO, a UK-based poet, was Highly Commended in the 2025 Bridport Prize and shortlisted for the 2025 Artemesia Arts Poetry Competition. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Magma, The Aftershock Review, The Shore, The York Literary Review, South, BarBar and The Crank.
