2016 Poetry Competition: Second Place
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ontinuing with the results of our first ever poetry competition, we are delighted to announce second place goes to Beth Hurst for her work ‘For Becky – After Someday I’ll love Ocean Vuong’…
I
Sky, please don’t worry. The horizon is the place at the end of the day
where you sink to your knees and you weep in colours.
Remember, Sky, nothing is infinite as
life passes by shrieking on a yellow bicycle.
You are giving, like flowers in brown paper
and a warm cup of cheer-yourself-up tea.
Sky, can you hear me?
I am a small girl folded in at the corners.
Don’t forget your tears can wash away pain
in an instant.
I’m not hiding from you, your brightness is blinding
and sometimes it’s easier to just stay in bed.
Don’t be angry, Sky, when you’re black and
the people avoid you, using umbrellas to cover
their bodies and hearts.
Sky, remember how it felt tumbling down grassy hills
on your back. How the fall hurt more because of your laughter.
How arms enveloped you, put kiss marks on your knees.
There’s a girl on a bench waiting for sunset while the swans
land in threes on the lake and we are all waiting for night
or a miracle.
You die gloriously, hair in the wind,
slamming doors in red as you fade into the city.
II.
The Ocean counts its breaths,
sighs in, and out.
He remembers summer with
your sunglasses on and lipstick,
walking with red toe nails.
The Ocean does not forget,
but swallows empty bottles
underneath the willowy lace frill
of his collar.
Here on warm sand you are free.
Take off your multi-coloured coat.
Let it drop after this long hard day.
Remember, it’s okay to get home
and sink into yourself.
Before you sleep, make sure to wash
your face in cold water.
The city slips off like silk
against your white body and
the colour comes back to your cheeks,
like the blossom tree on the corner
of Charlotte Street, whose
roots break through the pavement
because the city cannot contain it.
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
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