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Surveillance

In this second series of poems commissioned by Hannah Lowe, WritersMosaic’s poetry editor, six poets explore the theme of surveillance – from the watchful eye of the state to the technologies that track our everyday lives, and from the scrutiny of others to the ways we monitor ourselves. At a time when surveillance is increasingly embedded in our daily lives, often in ways we don’t notice, these poems probe questions of power, privacy, visibility and control, and what it means to watch, to be watched, or to resist the gaze of others.

Edited by:  Hannah Lowe

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GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL

Jean Sprackland

No one could monitor you here
Standing in the doorway, looking like the Jack of Hearts

Standing in the doorway, looking like the Jack of Hearts

Abigail Parry

it’s a tricky business – this seeing, / being seen.
FIFTY FIRST DATES

FIFTY FIRST DATES

Luke Kennard

Footage of a man with a big black bag of cameras
to proceed you must first accept

to proceed you must first accept

Sean Wai Keung

please truly wont you auto / correct my soul
Colm

Colm

Lauren Lawler

Look at that eejit
don’t shoot! I have a camera

don’t shoot! I have a camera

Arji Manuelpillai

I need it to stare / longingly back
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