Christian Ward​​​

Portrait of a Surrealist as a Variable

I wear a different head every day. Depending on my mood, I might screw on an apple, a bull’s head, or a porcelain llama with a spider web of hairline cracks. I drink coffee from the husk of an unwanted moon. Slice open a mountain and scoop out the liver. I commune with a man with an aquarium for a stomach. Dine with artistic bears. There’s plenty of excitement: every phoneme is a printing press churning out landscapes to step into. I’m a walking fruit machine with bags of coins rattling in my cheeks. The trees open their palms whenever I pass. My fortune has never beaten faster than yours.

About the Author

Christian Ward is a London-based poet with two collections, Intermission and Zoo, available on Amazon and elsewhere. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, was longlisted for the 2023 National Poetry Competition, and was recognised this year in the Maria Edgeworth, Pen to Print, London Independent Story, and Shahidah Janjua Poetry competitions.