Fleur Adcock
Born
in Papakura, New Zealand
February 10, 1934
Died
October 11, 2024
Genre
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The Faber Book of 20th Century Women's Poetry
2 editions
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published
1988
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Poems 1960-2000
7 editions
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published
2000
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Dragon Talk
3 editions
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published
2010
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The Mermaid's Purse
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Glass Wings
8 editions
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published
2013
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Selected Poems
3 editions
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published
1983
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The Incident Book
2 editions
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published
1987
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Hoard
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Looking Back
2 editions
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published
1998
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Tigers
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published
1967
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“There are worse things than having behaved foolishly in public.
There are worse things than these miniature betrayals,
committed or endured or suspected; there are worse things
than not being able to sleep for thinking about them.
It is 5 a.m. All the worse things come stalking in
and stand icily about the bed looking worse and worse and worse.”
―
There are worse things than these miniature betrayals,
committed or endured or suspected; there are worse things
than not being able to sleep for thinking about them.
It is 5 a.m. All the worse things come stalking in
and stand icily about the bed looking worse and worse and worse.”
―
“It is 5 a.m. All the worse things come stalking in and stand icily about the bed looking worse and worse and worse.
-From the poem Fear”
―
-From the poem Fear”
―
“Happy ending
After they had not made love
she pulled the sheet up over her eyes
until he was buttoning his shirt:
not shyness for their bodies - those
they had willingly displayed - but a frail
endeavour to apologise.
Later, though, drawn together by
a distaste for such 'untidy ends'
they agreed to meet again; whereupon
they giggled, reminisced, held hands
as though what they had made was love -
and not that happier outcome, friends.”
―
After they had not made love
she pulled the sheet up over her eyes
until he was buttoning his shirt:
not shyness for their bodies - those
they had willingly displayed - but a frail
endeavour to apologise.
Later, though, drawn together by
a distaste for such 'untidy ends'
they agreed to meet again; whereupon
they giggled, reminisced, held hands
as though what they had made was love -
and not that happier outcome, friends.”
―