For many years, whenever I closed my eyes I saw the face of a beautiful young woman, smiling. I didn’t know who she was, but she seemed somehow familiar. Then I saw a black and white photo of my late mother aged eighteen, and I knew immediately: it wasn’t her.

Clive Oseman is a performance poet, satirist and story teller from Birmingham, UK. His collection of humorous and surreal poetry and prose, “Musical hamsters and much bigger issues” Was published in July 2024.