Sylvia from Caterwaul by Ilia Nicoll

From the tower wall
Rang out her clenched-fist caterwaul
The great dividing came with caul
A charm ‘gainst drowning
Came a foundling
Bastard other
Came the brother
Charnel-house revealed its deep decay

Of night and day
With wires bent and donkey bray
To make the chattel children go away
Blood blister
Where he’d kissed her
Poison pollen
Where she’d fallen
In dark woods where led astray

When Mars goes mad
It’s better just to wait it out
Her father gave her nine months to die
Then dragged them out
Down the river flowed
And down it washed its mortal load
She prayed to Mars to let them float
But he’d gone warring
Battle-scoring
Her strength failing
Left them sailing
Towards a shore where wolves were born

Sylvia
The boatman calls you home
Was the lesson yours to learn alone?

• Folk
• pop folk singer songwriter
• pop-folk-indie
• Stratford