First published in 2024 by Rough Trade Books
Design by Craig Oldham, Eliza Hart—Office of Craig
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronically, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the permission of the copyright owners. ©Ella Frears, 2024.
The right of Ella Frears to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Sections 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Print ISBN
9781914236426
eISBN
9781914236440
an email
We’re delighted to be renewing your
tenancy. We’ve partnered with Goodlord,
a property technology company, so you can
sign your renewal contract online. To get
started, you’ll need to set up an account
with Goodlord.
Ava, Nestor Estate Agents
Dear Ava,
It’s not your fault this caught me like it did –
Goodlord – the name disturbs me most. As though
we’re meant to pledge ourselves, to call our faceless
landlord good… or God, and I should – should I? –
feel graced, or blessed to live under this roof?
Oh Ava, I was snagged on it.
To tell the truth a thread came loose,
I should explain:
picture me in this little flat you rent us, lips
parted, blowing my coffee’s meniscus into waves – soft
at first, then crashing up the mug’s insides
and over,
yes, the sheets will surely stain,
and I was thinking of the old gods, Ava,
and ships they sank without notice, without malice,
I was reading an article, just the top, peeking
over the paywall; the surface-foam of current events
lifted with a teaspoon,
the surface is where the art is, I said.
Not everything’s like coffee, he replied.
I like my men bitter.
