Two Poems
Poetry by Hannah Flynn
Butter
You took me to your nan’s house once.
She made us apple crumble and butter pie.
She was horrified I didn’t want custard.
I saw your school pictures,
and those of your cousin-brothers
rising like trophies
along the windowsills,
next to candles that were never lit
Pictures of your mother—
like Helen of Troy—
in her wedding dresses
Had tea in a Lemsip mug,
skinny dipping biscuits gingerly,
trying not to spill.
You had warned me she was the type of old lady,
who helped other old ladies on and off the bus
Our friend’s blood sugar went too high.
That evening we went to a comedy club,
and she spent a lot of time in the loo.
I licked the spoon clean;
she couldn’t take the sugar.
Lasagne
The Silver Spoon and Anna Del Conte
were already spread open on the counter,
revealing tomato and olive oil mottled pages.
“Who do you prefer, Anna or Marcella?”
The hostess asked me,
as we sat down to eat.
The father told us he had been thrilled to meet
the neighbour’s Uncle Apo on the doorstep
earlier that day.
Apo was there to speak to teenagers
at their daughter's old school.
Would help the discourse there,
they hoped.
Had we had similar initiatives at my old school? he asked.
No, “it was full of Catholics” I explained.
He doesn’t like Catholics.
Even the ones in Northern Ireland.
Especially the ones in Northern Ireland.
The hallway smelled like pine and garlic.
They froze the leftovers.
BIO: Hannah Flynn is a London-based poet who explores liminal experiences and the ways our bodies are measured, controlled, and judged. Using restrained yet raw language, she examines power dynamics, bodily autonomy, and the interaction between our bodies and our environment. Through natural and domestic imagery, she reveals the weight of the unspoken and unseen.
With a background in journalism and science, Hannah brings a precise, analytical lens to her poetry, balancing lyricism with sharp observation. Her work interrogates the forces that shape identity, desire, and resistance. You can find her haiku and senryu at: @hannahflynn-poetry.bsky.social