Candle

Alice blows out the candle

We like to sit in the dark

It feels safe and warm

Like a blanket

Electricity is painful

Like noise

It makes us scared

We like to see the candle wax

Grow thicker

A marker of nights 

Gone by

Our finger tips 

Explore the ridges and bumps

It is soft to touch 

Like skin

We do not need to talk

To know each others feelings

We are as one

Breathing 

Thinking

Being

Soon we will sleep

Our eyes feel heavy

Like petals

Weighed down by dew

If we are lucky we will dream 

And in the morning 

We will turn our dreams

Into stories. 

Lavender

Do you dream of lavender

She asks

Only when my head is in a funk

I reply

I prefer lilacs

She mouths the words

As I think

It is a purple world 

The straw rattles 

In the wind

Like broken bones

Her tiny arms

And hands 

She is cool to touch

Never disheveled 

Sometimes sulky 

I drown in conversations

I whisper

I cannot follow the story

Of course you can

Silly

You just choose 

To hear what you cannot have 

I remember walking in circles

Gravel in my shoes

Picking at the lavender bush

Squeezing the scent out

Between finger and thumb

It is a place I do not wish to revisit 

Let alone dream about

Alice understands. 

Spectacle

We take our glasses off

Hang them on a branch

It is raining

We cannot see clearly

The rain drops off our eyelashes

Onto our nose

Which feels cold

We are taking a walk 

Passing the hours

Our feet sink in the mud

Our legs feel taut

And strong

It is good to move again 

Like dancing

But not

We danced when we were little

Twirling and swirling

Singing a secret song 

Happy to be together 

We are so tied to the moment

That we forget our glasses 

They are a spectacle 

Like a trail of breadcrumbs

They tell us where we have been

And where we might belong. 

An Old Story

Can you keep a secret

She asks

I look out of the window

The wind moves the tree

All the animals scurry

The weather is broken

All the colours bleed into one 

I take stock of where I am

Once I wept 

I tell her

But the moment passed 

It made me feel better

I think 

Although my face was swollen

She sings to herself

That makes me smile

Together we are telling

An old story

One which is both a secret

And alive. 

Drum

We sit in a circle and

Bang our drums

The beats are like

A pattern

Our hands a wave

My drum is a circle

It has a wooden base

And see through top

Inside are silver balls

When I move it from

Side to side

It makes a sound

Like the sea

It is soothing

If we were to play it forever 

We would sleep

We like to keep our hands busy

Alice sings under her breath

I smile

It is nice to belong

To be a part of something

Both silently 

And loud. 

Marrying the Wind

Our resolutions get lost in the wind

A voice

Like peppered dust

Carries us across the seasons 

Perhaps we should scream

When we look back

Perhaps we should laugh

Says Alice

I like that we are still together 

The wood smokes

In the fire

The crackle is like crumpled paper

Ink dried out

Letters imperceptible 

The robin on the tree outside

Ruffles his feathers

Sweet and extreme 

As a song 

Winter takes hold

We wrap up warm

Tend to our skin

I hold out my hand to the sky

Marrying the wind. 

For the New Year

The doves appear 

In the valley

It is winter

Still and pink

There is a hush 

The flapping of their wings

An invisible call 

They talk to each other

With the tips of their beaks 

Me and Alice hear the sound

It is like the brushing 

Of leaves 

Gentle and soft

We listen to the magical song

The light is coming up

A new day 

Where all our hopes are possible

Waiting and ready 

For the New Year.