The wasp rages in its belljar. It fights
against the glass, that warping of the air
it would escape, or fracture by its wrath;
its vehemence consumes the spirit of the place
signalling its will to break out from constraint
imposed upon an insect superman...
...to break and fly and hunt and find and sting
and harm the world! Except for wasps;
for only wasps can matter.
Ignored as if a lie, its pitch and volume rise,
shrill and edged and utterly relentless,
until it dominates the room.
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AL Franklin was born in Scotland but left their roots long ago, and lived abroad for a spell before settling in Hertfordshire in 1999. Their work explores relationships and responses on a personal level as well as trying to illuminate or even understand wider social issues. They have a long-term partner, three grown-up children and a professional career. They are drawn to irony and also to a wide range of enthusiasms, pursued with insufficient detachment.
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