Humphrey Astley

When cinemas and theatres
are gone – to be
on the edge of your seat

will mean to be alive
amid the spectacle of history
unbound

and you’ll see thoughts expand
like sacrificial stars
from the self-fulfilling prophecy –

‘I’

Humphrey ‘Huck’ Astley is a poet and musician based in Oxford, England. His works include the three-part album and stage-show Alexander the Great: a Folk Operetta (PinDrop/PRSF, 2013-15) and the pamphlet The Gallows-Humored Melody (Albion Beatnik Press, 2016). His poetry has appeared in publications including Agenda, And Other Poems, Disclaimer and The Punch. ‘The Singularity’ is from a new pamphlet, The One-Sided Coin (Rain over Bouville, 2018). | humphreyastley.co.uk