Laugh

We laughed when we met
Bodies entwined
Like taut poems
A gift of words
Turning like tongues in the ground
We lick the earth
It makes us feel connected
A lesson our elders taught us
Before they died
Rituals and habits
Thoughts and beliefs
It was a happy day
She says
Smiling
I wish I could remember more
The time she came to me
All I can think is she came
When I needed
And that was a long time ago
We look in the mirror
Decide not to jump through today
The sun shines
We hear people returning to the streets
We preferred the quiet
But must learn to love the noise
It will be ok
She whispers
I giggle in return
A tiny teardrop dripping from my eye.

Fear Itself

We run scared
Scarred
Sacred
Into the night
Our breath like tiny puffs of smoke
Set upon the dark sky
In the moonlight
You can see the marks on my skin
Each mark is a moment
Put together they tell a story
A life story
One of fear
And suffering
It is hard to think of a different body
A before
I was your age when I began
I never learnt to stop
Nobody ever taught me to
They sent us to the darkest places
Imagined we would come out light
But it only made things darker
More painful
More nightmares to catch us
Perhaps one day we will stop
It is inevitable she says
We cannot run forever
Let's just keep moving to morning
I say
Then we know it is safe to sleep
We hold hands
Breathe deeply
And carry on.

Magic Tree

We will plant a magic tree
She will have strong roots
Buried deep in the earth
And shiny bells and ribbons on her branches
When the sun shines
Her leaves will shade us
When it rains
We will hear the sound of gentle weeping
We hope that war never comes
Again
It would stop the bells
From trilling
Make us all mute and full of sorrow
Alice raises a skinny hand up to the sky
What type of tree will she be
Poplar
Oak or
Maple
Oak I say
Certain in my answer
That seems like the strongest tree
And there will be acorns
We imagine the magic tree
Well into the night
She makes for happy dreams.

Hair

The streets are lined with fallen birds
No pretty feathers for her hair
Then we shall give her
Ribbons and bows
Alice claps her hands with delight
The sun sparkles off her auburn locks
Her skin pale and glowing
The fine necklace draped
Like silver around her neck
We can only dream of being such a lady
We imagine her voice
Soft and lyrical
Perhaps she sings
Or trills sweet poetry
Well into the night
There is much to find in a face
Says Alice
I look at hers
Blue eyes
Sharp and keen
All ready to match her dress
Long hair we happily brush
I wonder why the birds fell
She asks
We all fall down in the end
If we are lucky someone will have painted our face.

Potatoes

We dig potatoes in the afternoon sun
Grateful as the soil
Scatters through our fingers and toes
We plant three more seeds
We hope with grace
That they do not fly away on the breeze
Perhaps they will grow
Perhaps they will rot in the ground
We hope for another bountiful harvest
Alice looks over her shoulder
Down the country lanes
Lost in the bright green fields
We have nowhere left to dash
No more truckled dreams
Every day is lazy
Like a soft dream
Time ticks on
We grow old
Not wise
How many wasted years
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Do not forget the words
Says Alice
Put all together they are you
And your story
They mean a lot
Thank you
I say
For helping me tell my story.

Worry

It is hard to let things be
She sighs
Each worry builds upon another
Until it is like a tightly
Wound ball of string
Bound in our stomach
Impossible to get out
We listen for drips and bangs
Electricity and water
We lie to ourselves about the shape of our body
It is unrecognisable
Huge
She giggles
Easier to lie in bed
Than try to change
Except that makes us unhappy
If only we could find the end of the string
Pull it
Straighten it out
Like a story unfolding
We miss the Red Queen
Her truth and hand
Upon our shoulder
We wonder if she will ever come back
We wonder if the world will ever be the same
Let us eat cake
Lie to ourselves and play in wonderland.

Tooth

She leans over and fills our tooth
It is like needlepoint
Alice squeals
All about filling holes
And making smooth patterns
She is all smiles and clapping arms today
Her face is happy
Her fingers nimble
It feels like help is stacking up
Becoming open to us
Like ripping off mittens
As the weather turns warm
Sometimes I am afraid
I am not unharmed
It is a mix of good things and bad things
I run my tongue over my tooth
It feels smooth and strong
All the better for eating tea with
No gaping holes for the tea to sting
For a while my lips are numb
That makes me think of all the bad things
I could do
Instead I wait for the feeling to return
It is all about waiting
She says
Being patient and safe
Seeing the good things when they happen
I match her smile
And together we wait for a very special tea party.

Dandelion Street

We walk down Dandelion Street
Kiss through paper masks
We like the quiet and silent footsteps
But it is sad
Full of losses
People gone before they are ready
Do you remember when we last
Held hands
Of course little cricket
You are my touchstone
Warmth
Comfort
Friend
You will help me through everything
She smiles
I can tell from her pale eyebrows
Poking out
Behind the mask
Raised and strong
We wonder how long people will stay at home
It feels like forever
There is nothing more we need
A bed
Each other
That is a kind of happiness
Perhaps
So we kick down Dandelion Street
Ready for our next adventure
Ready to take off our masks.

Splash

We run and splash
At the end of the world
Toes dipping in the ocean
Boys wear helmets
Girls wear hats
We let our hair flow free
For one glimmering moment
We see forgiveness
A door and a prayer
All our thoughts spiral downwards
Pulses through our veins
Beats in our heart
Perhaps we are happy
She says
Playing in our head
Being free
Stories float through our thoughts
Endings drift away
I hold her hand
And we swim in the sea
Let the salt heal our skin
The freshness reawaken our nerves
And bones
The sun is trying to shine
The clouds look puffy
And full
We should go home before the rain
Just one more minute
She squeals
And so we stay.