Open Mic Winner: Janet Rogerson

Janet Rogerson has a pamphlet A Bad Influence Girl which was published by The Rialto in 2012. She is currently a PhD student at The University of Manchester. She has never won anything remotely poetry related so was very happy to win the open mic favourite poem competition at Once More with Meaning, with the title poem from her pamphlet ‘A Bad Influence Girl’.

(We were unable to publish 'A Bad Influence Girl', however, we do how a replacement poem 'Sex Shop Sestina')

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Sex Shop Sestina

Ken works in insurance, it can be pretty

dull, though he does meet some interesting people.

One of his clients is Coco’s Sex Shop,

the things he’s seen in there, how other people live.

He would feel his face burn with shame at first

as he furtively entered looking this way and that way.

If anyone saw him what could he say, there is no way

they would believe it was work, he was pretty

sure about that. Inside what he saw shocked him at first,

it thrilled him too, he’d never admit that to the people

at work, they gave him the account on purpose, they live

to humiliate him, but he’d proved them wrong about the Shop.

                       

At home he tries not to think about the Shop

he couldn’t be happier with his wife, the way

they live is not exciting but it’s a decent way to live

and she’s not bad for her age, still pretty

in her own way, she’s a lot better than most people,

and she always puts his needs first,

he likes that about her, he comes first,

and you wouldn’t catch her in Coco’s Sex Shop

she has standards, high ones, not like some people.

Still, there are other alternatives. Another way

to live. He glances over at Sophie’s pretty

face, her round red mouth open like she’s alive.

He’s feeling down today. This is no way to live,

everyone else comes first, he should put his needs first

for once. Maybe he’ll take something pretty

home for his wife, although he’s not talked about the Shop,

she might get the wrong idea, no, it’s not her way

some people are fixed in their ways, other people,

people like him have a deeper side to them. People

have desires and needs – they can’t live

like this. Something is going to happen one way

or another. She was his first love, first

and only lover but the men who go to the Shop

are different, carefree. Sophie sure looks pretty.

Baby you’re so pretty, I don’t care what people

think, the Shop don’t own you, we can live

anywhere. My wife never loved me this way.