Published in Anon
Beautiful Again
You were pale when I found you
asleep in the emptied bath
as if too tired to have noticed
the water running out.
You were beautiful again
with just a hint of the smile
that first drew me to you,
and the only tell-tale sign
was the crimson swirl
in the last of the water
to drain away.
Damp Soil
When they found him shining
in the burning African sun
they laughed and danced around him
touching his wet-glass skin
wondering at how cold he was
and ran to fetch their parents
screaming in delight.
But when the adults arrived
having put away their tools
and tethered the goats
and secured the doors
closing darkness within,
all they found was damp red soil
where the snowman had not waited.
