Inspired to Produce Collection of Poems

Fae Sapsford

January 30, 2014 — Yesterday Young Observer visited Somersfield Academy to meet with Fae Sapsford. Fae is in her final year at the school, which she has attended since she was seven-years-old.

IB Coordinator and English Teacher Mr Chudd said: “Every year, students in their final year at Somersfield Acdaemy complete an independent project under the supervision of a member of staff. These projects are of a high standard. This year we have a business plan and presentation, a 15’ boat build, a series of artistic works on the theme of revolution, and a historical novel.”

Fae has published a collection of original poems. The book is called ‘A snag in the mind of an unimportant stander’. Fae told us that she had started writing the poetry in Summer 2013 and finished in January 2014, after attending a Festival of Authors in Canada and being inspired by one of the speakers who was a poet. She then explained that she went back and edited and re-edited the poems.

Mr. Judd had helped her compile the book, for which she also created the illustrations, which were inspired by Jon Carling.

The book can be purchased on Amazon, and one of her poems can be read on our website alongside this story.

Fae Sapsford's illustration of Cheese Grater in her collection of poems book called: A snag in the mind of an unimportant stander

RECEDE

I carry on my person
a cheese grater
at all times,
Just in case there’s not enough
of me
to fill my outsides.

It’s a comfort to know that as I recede
into a stagnant being,
I can shave away the wasted bits
that are hardly worth seeing.

As I dissolve into the air
I can shave my elbows
till they’re red and bleeding
scrape the eczema off to gain some feeling in this shell,
in these limbs
they’re receding.

Dead weights;
denatured skin cells.
I am too little to fill a cup
I can’t be half empty or half full
- there’s simply not enough
of me.

I take comfort as I recede
as I shrink into this carapace case,
suctioning shroud,
in that I’ll always be ready
to be in a happy place
to sculpt my nose off of my face

Grind my feet to shavings - to stubs
because
as one recedes
one must always be ready
to emery board those fingernail nubs.

Originally published in The Royal Gazette.