Poem from the Archive
Metal
Metal
Tin woman
where is your oil can?
Fix yourself up
for a night of what once was
tricks and treats from
your mechanical jaw
let them stare and shove away
this space is yours
and no one else’s.
Rusty royalty, empress
of late night into dawn
you don’t need a crown, sceptre
or apologies to overthrow
untimely thieves; too late
for some, they come undone
but you shine through.
Themes and inspiration for this poem include, but aren’t limited to: The Wizard of Oz (tin man); Jilly’s Rockworld (main room, stage, all-nighter); royal jewellery; nostalgia; colonialism; perseverance, and tempo mandibular jaw disorder.