Man, a Woman & a Hippopotamus

Selima Hill grew up in a family of painters on farms in England and Wales, and has lived in Dorset for the past 40 years. She received a Cholmondeley Award in 1986, and was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Exeter University in 2003-06. She won first prize in the Arvon International Poetry Competition with part of The Accumulation of Small Acts of Kindness (1989), one of several extended sequences in Gloria: Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2008), which also includes work from Saying Hello at the Station (1984), My Darling Camel (1988), A Little Book of Meat (1993), Aeroplanes of the World (1994), Violet (1997), Bunny (2001), Portrait of My Lover as a Horse (2002), Lou-Lou (2004) and Red Roses (2006). Violet was a Poetry Book Society Choice and was shortlisted for all three of the UK’s major poetry prizes, the Forward Prize, T.S. Eliot Prize and Whitbread Poetry Award. Bunny won the Whitbread Poetry Award, was a Poetry Book Society Choice and was also shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Lou-Lou and The Hat were Poetry Book Society Recommendations.Her most recent collections from Bloodaxe Books are The Hat (2008); Fruitcake (2009); People Who Like Meatballs (2012), shortlisted for both the Forward Poetry Prize and the Costa Poetry Award; The Sparkling Jewel of Naturism (2014); Jutland (2015), a Poetry Book Society Special Commendation which was shortlisted for the 2015 T.S. Eliot Prize and was earlier shortlisted for the Roehampton Poetry Prize; The Magnitude of My Sublime Existence (2016), shortlisted for the Roehampton Poetry Prize 2017; Splash like Jesus (2017); I May Be Stupid But I'm Not That Stupid (2019); and Men Who Feed Pigeons (2021), shortlisted for the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Collection, the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize, and the Rathbones Folio Prize 2022; and Women in Comfortable Shoes (2023), a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Her 22nd book of poetry, A Man, a Woman & a Hippopotamus, is published by Bloodaxe Books in 2025.Selima Hill was awarded The King's Gold Medal for Poetry, 2022, made on the basis of her body of work, with special recognition for her 2008 Bloodaxe Books retrospective Gloria: Selected Poems.

The miniaturism of Martial and Emily Dickinson is reinvented in this iridescent collection which brings together 11 sequences whose subjects range from girls misbehaving in convent schools to fridges contemplating death, plus a pair of bad-tempered sisters, a parrot and hair clips... Over 254 pages, Hill creates a new kind of narrative poem, which has all the rewards of reading a good novel – or novels – yet she retains poetry’s unique ability to zoom in on minutiae, as when contemplating ants whizzing about like bumper cars...

• SELF-PORTRAIT WITH A BUCKET28 Self-portrait with an Armadillo28 Self-portrait on a Bathmat28 Self-portrait with a Beautiful Face29 Self-portrait with the Blessed Virgin Mary29 Self-portrait with a Book29 Self-portrait with My Brother30 Self-portrait with a Bunch of Roses in Front of My Face30 Self-portrait as a Corpse30 Self-portrait with a Cowpat31 Self-portrait with Crawling Mothers31 Self-portrait with a Crown of Thorns31 Self-portrait in a Cupboard32 Self-portrait with Curly Hair, Holding a Mushroom32 Self-portrait as Their Daughter33 Self-portrait, Deep in Thought33 Self-portrait with a Doe33 Self-portrait as a Duck34 Self-portrait as a Footballer, Carrying a Bucket34 Self-portrait with a Furious Headmaster34 Self-portrait in Goggles35 Self-portrait with a Hammer35 Self-portrait with a Hornet35 Self-portrait with My Husband36 Self-portrait with a Jelly on My Head36 Self-portrait in a Jumbo Jet36 Self-portrait in the Kitchen with a Spoon37 Self-portrait with a Lettuce37 Self-portrait in the Lido37 Self-portrait with a Mosquito38 Self-portrait with My Mother-in-Law38 Self-portrait as Myself38 Self-portrait with a Neighbour Who Doesn’t Like Swimming39 Self-portrait in 197539 Self-portrait with Novak Djokovik39 Self-portrait in a Pair of Expensive Italian High Heels40 Self-portrait with a Pair of Tweezers40 Self-portrait with a Pan of Tomato Sauce40 Self-portrait with a Parrot on My Shoulder41 Self-portrait with Parsley41 Self-portrait in a Peach-coloured Bath41 Self-portrait as a Pebble42 Self-portrait with a Piglet42 Self-portrait as a Pilot42 Self-portrait with a Pound of Flesh43 Self-portrait in a Restaurant43 Self-portrait in a Sauna43 Self-portrait at the Seaside44 Self-portrait in Several Harnesses44 Self-portrait with a Shoe44 Self-portrait in the Shower45 Self-portrait in a Side Room45 Self-portrait as a Sock45 Self-portrait Standing in a Queue Beside a Businessman46 Self-portrait with Straightened Hair46 Self-portrait with a Tin of Golden Syrup46 Self-portrait with the Toenail of a Saint47 Self-portrait as a Tufty-eared Red River Hog47 Self-portrait with an Umbrella47 Self-portrait, Undressed48 Self-portrait with an Unknown Man48 Self-portrait with a Wall48 Self-portrait with X in the Dark WoodsTHE MATHEMATICIAN50 Classic Cars50 The Cake50 Bear51 Having to Remember Every Day51 The Picnic52 Far into the Night52 Friends52 Violins and Salad53 The Mathematician and the Parrot53 Friendship53 The Value of Difficult People54 What He Likes About His New Home54 Sunshine55 Eels55 The Meeting55 Buns55 The Man on the Sofa (1)56 Bananas56 Dogs and Bears56 The Angry Man56 Girls Like Me57 Doing Something Drastic About My Hair58 The Emperor58 Vermiculite (1)58 And Another Question59 The Man on the Sofa (2)59 The Fence59 The Colour of the Cushion60 The Upside-down Dog60 The Graceless Man60 The Yellow Lorry61 The Driver61 The Anniversary61 The Visitors62 The Nursery62 The Meaning of Barf62 The Clap of Thunder62 Persian Primer63 Helping Others63 My Friend in the Woolly Hat63 The Nose64 The Bear Woman64 Dogs and Mathematicians64 Vermiculite (2)65 Bras in the Sun65 The Whistling Man65 Sunday Afternoon66 Violence66 Sleep66 What I’m Trying to SayA MAN, A WOMAN AND A CHIHUAHUA68 A Man, A Woman and a Crossword Puzzle68 A Man, A Woman and A Piece of Cake68 A New Pair of Boots68 Annabel68 Bring Nadine69 But People Do Love You69 Can I Get You Something?69 Cooked Breakfasts and Shrieks69 Dead Flies70 Dinner with My Father70 Eggs70 Expensive Cheeses70 Field Guide to Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe71 Friendly People71 He’s Got More Money Than He Knows What To Do With71 His Ebullient Aunt’s Latest Adventures in Eastern Europe and the Third World71 His Little Sausage71 Home72 Ice Cream and Jelly72 Impatience72 It Hasn’t Stopped Raining for Days72 J.73 Mary73 Midnight73 My Bony Hands73 My Miserable Sister73 ‘My Miserable Sister’74 Nudity74 Panther74 Peaburgers74 PRIVATE75 Roly75 Sardines75 Sex with Jockeys75 Sheep75 Sin76 Swimming with the Banker76 The Afternoon of Her Arrival76 The Air in the Mountains76 The Answer Is Yes76 The Box of Chocolates77 The Chocolate Chip Cookie That My Daughter Had Given Me77 The Ear77 The Empty Room77 The Ewe78 The Famous Museum78 The Fox78 The Funeral78 The Gift79 The Hare79 The Heart-throb79 The Holiday-makers79 The Key79 The Little Dog80 The Lonely Son80 The Long Boring Journey80 The Loony-bin80 The Man in the Ugly Shoes81 The Man Next Door81 The Man with Four Dogs81 The Mental Health of Footballers81 The Orange Towel82 The Perfect Coat82 The Picture of His Mother82 The Resident82 The Sculpture83 The Singer83 The Sobbing Woman Lying on the Floor83 The Spider83 The Swimmer and the Man in a Tweed Coat84 The Visitor84 The Woman by the River84 The Woman Who Doesn’t Smile84 Two Things I Know about the Hummingbird Hawk-moth84 Two Women I Don’t Recognise85 Two Women in a Restaurant85 Uncles85 Vodka85 Wednesday Afternoon at the Lido85 Welcome Home86 What Makes Me HappyBABY PETER88 The Tent88 Pig89 Woman Alone in a Flat90 Strawberry Jam91 The Waltzer91 Cuckoo92 Baby Peter and the Cushions92 From His Bedroom on the Fourteenth Floor93 A Good Boy93 The Verger’s Toes94 Baby Peter and the Rats94 Miserable Owls95 Baby Peter and the Good Shepherd95 Children in Go-karts96 The Reservoir96 Baby Peter Lying on the Mat97 Catalogues97 The Fight in the Snow98 Orange Squash98 The Accident99 Beetle Mother99 To Be the Mother of a Helpless Baby99 Brothers for Peter100 Pity100 Pork100 Baby Peter’s Orange Bear101 Baby Peter and the Doll101 No One Ever Tells You102 Cake102 Yellow GrassAGATHA104 The Billionaire in His Office104 Yachts at Sea105 In the Silence of the Hush105 Intimacy106 How Old is Old?106 Whippets106 Sunday Nights at the Care Home107 Sadness107 Soup107 Old People in Tea-rooms108 The Happy Faces of the Very Old108 The Young108 The Simple Fact109 White Mice109 Chocolate Biscuits109 Sleepless Nights110 The Horse110 Like the Lost at Sea110 The Petite Housewife111 The Ewe111 Chocolate-tipped Meringues112 Rich and Famous112 The Residents113 George113 The Billionairess113 Skin114 Smile, Smile, Smile114 Woman in a Chair115 The Tablecloth115 The Elderly116 Concrete in May116 Ugly Shoes116 Happy Little Faces117 Does He Want to Reach a Ripe Old Age?117 Men in Winter117 Meeting the Vicar118 Wilhelmina118 Pool119 The Old Exist119 What They Still Remember119 Being Old is Such a Waste of Time120 Duck120 Cooking121 Spectacles121 The Old Woman and the Young Man121 People Who Are Old Don’t Have Fun122 These Furious Adults122 He Died the Way He Chose to Die122 People Who Are Old Are No Fun123 Mothers123 The Warm Hot-water-bottle124 What’s the Point of Being Happy?124 People Who Are Old Can’t Be Trusted124 Brassieres125 The Father of the Late Billionaire125 Success125 Debut Novels126 You Can Ask for Anything You Want126 Mowing the Lawn126 Spiders127 Old Ladies127 The Old Man and His Dog128 Awe128 Being Trampled on by Labradors128 The Woman Who Escaped129 Arthur129 The Avenue129 The Man Who Loved His Poodle130 Mrs X130 Josephine130 Out Beyond the Cedars in their WheelchairsROOM 17133 The Grandmother Goes Shopping133 A Grandmother Who Star-jumps133 The Grandmother Goes Swimming134 The Grandmother and Her Granddaughters134 The Grandmother in the Park134 The Grandmother and Coco135 The Grandmother and Michelle at the Swimming Pool135 The Grandmother and Her Chocolates135 The Grandmother and the Rabbits136 The Grandmother and the Woman Next Door136 Grandmothers with Sweets136 The Grandmother Relaxes137 Grandmothers and Love137 The Grandmother and the Visitor137 The Grandmother and the Chickens138 The Grandmother and the Vertiginous Hillside138 The Grandmother and Her Carnations138 The Grandmother and Mr Tsitsipas139 The Grandmother in the Afternoon139 The Grandmother and the Lion139 The Grandmother in the Lake140 The Grandmother and Her Bike140 The Grandmother at the Surgery140 The Grandmother and Her Grandson141 The Grandmother in Her Frilly Dress141 The Grandmother and the Pool Attendant141 The Grandmother’s Sofa142 The Grandson’s Teeth142 The Grandmother and Sky-diving142 The Grandmother and the Tweed Coat143 The Grandmother and the Rat143 The Grandmother and a Member of the Public144 The Grandmother at the Station144 The Grandmother and Her Visitors145 The Grandmother in the Shower-room145 The Grandmother’s Birthday145 The Grandmother in Bed146 The Grandmother’s Unbearable Mortification146 The Grandmother in the Road146 The Grandmother’s Hair147 The Grandmother at the Pharmacy147 The Grandmother’s Knees147 The Grandmother Upstairs148 The Grandmother in the Forest148 The Grandmother and the Pears148 The Grandmother on the Bus149 The Grandmother’s Neck149 The Grandmother and the Wives of Violent Men149 The Grandmother in a Sombrero150 The Grandmother’s Frock150 The Grandmother and the Doctor’s Thigh150 The Grandmother’s Shoes151 The Grandmother’s Smile151 The Boredom of the Late Pool Attendant151 The Grandmother and Her Enormous Children152 The Grandmother and the Murderers152 The Grandmother’s New Home152 The Grandmother’s New Friends153 The Grandmother and the Goose153 The Grandmother in Her Room153 The Grandmother and Her Apples154 The Grandson and the Doctor154 The Grandmother on the Lawn154 Grandmother’s Chins155 The Grandmother and the Counsellors155 The Grandmother Paints Her Face155 The Grandmother Laughs156 The Grandmother at the Grand Hotel156 The Grandmother and her Greetings Cards156 The Grandmother at Night157 The Grandmother in the Flower Bed157 The Grandmother Enjoys Her Tea157 The Grandmother Goes for a Walk158 The Grandmother’s Bell158 The Grandmother at Mealtimes158 The Grandmother and the Sound of Laughter159 The Grandmother and Erling Haaland160 Flocks of Sheep160 The Grandmother Who Loved to ChatMEN IN SHORTS163 Men163 Springtime163 The Woman with the Corgi164 Husbands164 The Nice Cow164 The Neapolitan Mastiff165 Several Lovers165 The Priest165 Brothers166 The Tall Policeman166 Nishikori166 Manliness167 The Letter167 The Sea167 The Tiny Reed Warbler168 Drowning168 Power-boats168 Motherhood169 The Genius169 Wild Flowers169 A View of the Sea170 Playing Cricket in the Mist170 Cathedral170 What It’s Like to Ride a Cow171 The Flautist171 Huskies171 What My Mother Said172 Jealousy172 Dentistry172 The Beard173 Little Rabbits173 BBQ173 The Tubby Whippets174 Rain174 The Terrible Mess174 Fathers175 Running175 Love175 The Mysterious Man176 Visitors176 The Woman with the Lab176 Cows176 Our Plans for Today177 The Man from Cheshire177 The Word Mistress177 The Musician178 The Adorable Man178 SummertimeBONKERS181 The Afghan Hound181 The Basset Griffon Vendeens181 The Basset Hound181 The Bichon Frise181 The Boxer181 The Bulldog183 The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel183 The Chow183 The Chihuahua184 The Cocker Spaniel190 The Pomeranian190 The Rhodesian Ridgeback190 The Saluki191 The Scottish Terrier191 The Setters191 The Sheltie192 The Shih Tzus192 The Springer Spaniel192 The Standard Poodle193 The Stray193 The Weimaraner193 The West Highland Whites194 The Whippet194 The Yorkshire TerrierUNTIL THE YEARS ROLL DOWN MY CHEEKS LIKE HONEY196 The One-legged Man196 Birdsong197 His Dusty Jacket and His Ice-cold Hands197 Being Looked at by a Man Standing Very Close Beside Me198 The Tall Giraffe198 The Mystery of My Submission199 Menswear199 Please Can He Not Know a Thing about Me200 What Other People Think200 Sitting on the Bench like a Snail201 Jesus and the Radios201 Two Strangers in a Field with Some Sheep202 My Private Life202 It Hasn’t Stopped Raining For Days203 Please Don’t Answer Chess203 Alone with Me204 The Golden Lion204 I Need a Haircut and I Need It Now205 The Hide-out in the Mountains205 Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea205 Never Mention Mother206 Bobby Fischer’s Eyes206 The Sun Will Rise Tomorrow206 It’s Possible to Walk in the Countryside207 A Visit to the Grave of the Dancer207 A Snowy Afternoon in December208 A Slice of Cake Wrapped in Silverfoil208 Everything About Him209 Angry Golfers, Sinister Children209 St Catherine of Siena and her Ring210 My Big Worry210 Everybody Loves Me210 So Woebegone, So Flabby, So Alone211 The Smile, When It Comes…211 A Jumble of Old Radios211 My Controversial Theory about Bobby Fischer212 The Aeroplane212 The Disappearing Mouse212 Fantasy Involving a Hairbrush213 How to Share a Banana214 A Boring Man214 A Man and a Woman on a Bench214 Please Don’t Be Afraid to Meet My Eye215 The Man Who Didn’t Sleep215 The Man is Gone216 Dachshunds217 The Day He Took His Jacket Off217 Outside the Golf Club Car Park on a Windy Day218 Kafka’s Fear of MiceTHE SURLY MOTHERS OF SUCCESSFUL MEN220 The Bungalow (1)220 Palazzo Trousers220 Ants (1)220 My Uncle’s Private Parts221 My Mother-in-Law Comes to Tea221 The Boulder221 Culottes221 The Leg of the One-legged Jockey221 Father (1)222 The Man in Pyjamas222 Wedding Day222 Fountains222 Foible222 The Woman in the Purple Trousers223 Walking Backwards223 The Visitor Regards My Big Black Dog223 The Surly Mothers of Successful Men (1)223 The Dirty Look223 The Electricity Sub-station224 What to Teach Your Children224 The Little Stone224 The Man with Undyed Hair224 The Other Person224 Ears225 The Wounds of Successful Men225 Heatwave225 The Leftover Sausages225 Buckinghamshire225 Roger Federer in Switzerland226 Question (1)226 The Visit to the Care Home226 Uncles226 The Doctor’s Question I Found So Hard to Answer226 Women with Straight Hair227 Bathmat227 Bodies in the Snow227 The Things He Says227 The Holiday228 The Residents228 Gentleness228 The Letter H228 Salt229 My Uncle’s Cooking229 The Sister Who Didn’t Exist229 Mouth230 The Bungalow (2)230 The Doctor’s Hands230 Lip Balm230 Girls Who Disobey231 Pineapple Shampoo231 The One-legged Jockey and the Cook231 Cacti231 My Mother’s Bed232 The Knife232 Timetables232 Well-meaning Actions232 Advice to the Reader232 My Earliest Memory233 Chicken233 Symptoms233 All My Endless Questions233 The Orange Dress233 The Aunt and Her Dog234 Question (2)234 The Lost and Found Dog Disc234 At the Pool (1)234 The Visitor234 Screams (1)235 The Sort of Person Who235 The Man Who Was Crying235 The Letter B235 A Love of Punctuation235 But What’s It Like?236 Person Talking While Standing in the Sea236 Her Small Son236 Woman in a Wetsuit236 Snakes237 Bereavement (1)237 Tuesdays237 Density237 The Library at Night237 Screams (2)238 The Girl Made of Glass238 Bausch238 The Telephone Call238 Hope239 The Man Who Taught Me Greek239 The Man Shouting into His Phone239 Question (3)239 Women Carrying Bowls239 Bluebell240 My Inability to Drive240 The Same for Everyone240 Somewhere in Lincolnshire240 Prayer (1)240 Her Mother’s Cheek241 The Poodle241 The Timetable241 The Interesting Tumble-dryer241 The Elephant Kanchenjunga241 Prayer (2)242 The Stolen Tennis-ball242 There’s Nothing Wrong with Ducks242 The Widower at Night242 In the Garden Shed when the Door Slams Shut242 The Date243 The Bungalow (3)243 Child in a Flat243 Humiliation243 The Little Play243 Granny and the Cloud244 La Belle Hélène244 Little Things Are Happening All the Time244 Man in the Street244 The Outing244 Question (4)245 The Dream of the Dreamer245 My Dog at 9 a.m.245 The Sound of Breaking Glass245 The Surly Mothers of Successful Men (2)246 The Shimmering Lake246 Mum and the Fly246 Ironmonger246 September Evenings at My Grandmother’s246 Me-Time247 Mary (1)247 His Other Girlfriend247 The New Cardigan247 The Most Interesting Thing About Me248 Heaven248 The Prefab248 Mrs P.249 Strawberry Jam249 Who I Am249 The Stranger’s Car249 Smoothie at Midnight249 Bereavement (2)250 To the Reader250 Fun250 Question (5)250 As I Tried to Explain Years Later250 What I Asked the Person Standing Next to Me251 China Blue251 The Hearty Breakfast251 The Blessed Virgin Mary Goes Swimming251 He Told Me To Make a List (1)251 The Surly Mothers of Successful Men (3)252 Ants (2)252 Weight252 The Kitten252 Spiders252 My Sister’s Hair252 Cucumber253 He Told Me To Make a List (2)253 Prayer (3)253 The Problems of Taking It in Turns253 At the Pool (2)253 The Irish Terrier and the Irish Terrier’s Owner254 Thicket254 On Passing a Field with 7 Cows and 7 Sheep in It254 The Bungalow (4)254 Yes254 Two Cows in a Meadow255 You and Me255 The Clinical Psychologist (1)255 My Friends255 The Surprise Birthday Present255 My Grandmother’s Dressing-gown256 Zvuv256 The Clinical Psychologist (2)256 B. on Honeymoon256 A & E256 Things She Wishes She Had Brought on Holiday257 Clairvoyance257 My Dentist’s Eyes257 The Search257 The General’s Pyjamas257 My Sister Whines258 Purity of Heart258 Wasps (1)258 The Barista258 The Woman with Thick Ankles258 The Level Crossing259 As the Bus Sails Past My Stop259 My First Giraffe259 Father (2)259 My Own Mother260 A Simple Question260 The Woman in the Drawing-room260 Mary (2)260 What to Say261 Apricot Lover261 My Mother in Particular261 Herons261 Wasps (2)261 The Clinical Psychologist (3)262 Pins262 The Child Within262 The Man Who Walks 30 Miles a Day262 Lambs262 Cow at Night263 The Birthday Present263 Ice Hockey263 Question (7)263 The Bishop Digs a Hole263 Sideboard264 The Bungalow (5)264 The Peacock264 Birds264 The Loving Hand265 Happy Birthday265 The Parrot265 Golf265 Omelette266 The Right Amount of Smiling266 The Man Who Doesn’t Want To Be Forgiven266 The Happy Couple266 My Sister Accuses Me of Being an Attention-seeker266 Faith267 Mayonnaise267 The Spoon (Testing My Powers of Observation)267 The Cold Fish268 Cookie268 The Burning House268 The Bungalow (6)271 Notes & acknowledgements