beneath summer sun
share the shadow
of a brolly with you
within its soft circle
we’ll listen to the rain
in each other
I miss the tenderness
of being near you
your body soaked
in star and sea light
the sighs
from stroked shores
where you try to excavate
your encrypted heart
I wanted to touch the scars
upon your clawed at chest
the hinges of your heart
sprinkles rust like pollen
as the dark wind of your blood
squeezes through its doors
left ajar
use the scarred skin
of your heart
to scratch a match
awake
then light a candle
in the cave
reveal the stalagmite
and stalactite stretching
dripping
towards each other
eventually
the tips of their tongues
will touch
spark at the heart
of the dark
they share
you’re the green fronds of fire
that grouts the cobbled back streets of my heart
the bright butterflies still being born
from the braided shadows of brambles
blossom become sentient
a blizzard of butterflies
I won’t speak to you again
I will still sing to you
songs white as whispers
same frequency as ghosts
sunlight and midnight
lines the inside
of our chests
pirouette upon rusted blades
across scorched streets
dissolve into the spray
of their own sparks
rust and ash
pollen and snow
glass the gatekeeper
asks the sky
if they’re on the list
worn away with waking
my favourite bit
when you appeared
around the bend
at the end of my street
come to meet me
the ghost of gold
on an autumn night
stitched together
with neon thread
your black dress
splashed by the sirens
from the cries of the city
your red heels
sparked the sealskin
of the pavement
drains choked with fire
replaced my heartbeat
with the syllables of your name