The Saturday Poem: The Penelopes

by Penelope Shuttle

I saw The Penelopes
painted and named
but not shamed
on a brick wall
along Calvert Street,
Banksy-esque
I guess,
unsigned urban art,
two young women
on horseback,
en-face.
Though I had my camera
I didn’t take a photo,
cameras lie,
they blunt and flatten,
but I kept the white Penelopes
in my eye,
a few days later
it seems
in my mind’s eye
they rode on elephants
or camels or elands,
any creature but horses,
and I wonder if I go back
to Shoreditch
(but it won’t be tomorrow)
will the Penelopes still be there
drawn by an easy clever hand
low down on a wall
on Calvert Street?

• From Hwaet! 20 Years of Ledbury Poetry Festival, edited by Mark Fisher (Bloodaxe, £9.99). To order a copy for £8.19 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call Guardian book service on 0330 333 6846.