Florence's poems

Body Of Water

To give yourself over to another body
That’s all you want really.
To be out of your own and consumed by another
To swim inside the skin of your lover
Not have to breathe
Not have to think
But you can’t live on love
And salt water’s no drink
We’re dying of thirst so we feast on each other
The sea is still our violent mother
The blood round here pours down like water
Each wave a lamb lead to the slaughter…
And like children that she just can’t teach…
We break, and break, and break
And break ourselves upon the beach…

Song

I don’t have a voice
I don’t have a voice
Not a narrative voice
.___ a song

The song spreads in grand perspective
Older and wiser than me
Singing to me ___ death
And out ___ the sea
How would I speak
If it was just me…
Not full of songs that are speaking through me
What would I say if the song left me
That strange knowing anxiety
Left me
Not man or woman
Genderless, human and free
Left me as it found me
Hollowed out
Still absorbed
Checking my phone
And watching TV.

Body Of Water

Body Of Water – the poem Florence wrote for ‘The Odyssey’. It’s been featured in between the tracks Queen Of Peace and Long and Lost. Florence uses the sea as a metaphor for love and unhealthy habits.

Vincent Haycock, ‘The Odyssey’ video director, asked Florence to write a poem when they arrived on-set; he felt he needed to capture the Scottish atmosphere in something other than a song. Florence wrote the poem in one day, and it was recorded that night on the island of Easdale (Scotland). Speaking about it, Florence stated that she has always been attracted to poetry, but was always too scared to write any because it is so raw; there is no music or melody to hide the words or meaning. (The Odyssey Q&A, 2016)

Song

Florence contributed to A Magazine’s edition curated by Alessandro Michele (Gucci) called ‘Blind for love’ (December 2016) with her poem ‘Song’. 

@flo_tweet: ‘Honoured to be part of Alessandro Michele’s beautifully curated edition of @amagcuratedby ‘Blind for love”

I don’t have a voice
I don’t have a voice
Not a narrative voice
.___ a song

The song spreads in grand perspective
Older and wiser than me
Singing to me ___ death
And out ___ the sea
How would I speak
If it was just me…
Not full of songs that are speaking through me
What would I say if the song left me
That strange knowing anxiety
Left me
Not man or woman
Genderless, human and free
Left me as it found me
Hollowed out
Still absorbed
Checking my phone
And watching TV.