When
Sophine Watkis
When I think of you I see a chalk outline.
I see a wooden box,
Three rusted nails. I see woodlice and worms and earth.
I see red and blue lights, flushed cheeks and dirty walls.
When I look for you,
I search for the needle, ignoring all signs of hay.
I look for the hole that hasn’t been filled.
I follow a trial of darkened skies and
Shattered hearts. I look through the
Hollow eyes and wondering minds.
When I find you,
I hold onto twigs and branches and thorns.
I squeeze rocks, I swallow pebbles.
I scrape away the earth and worms and
Woodlice.
When I –
I dream of your bones and your teeth.
I think of your eyes: black; your heart: empty.
Now I don’t look for you and I don’t
Think of you because you’ve been gone
For so
Long, and I can’t find you, you’ve mixed with the earth
And I don’t have a sieve.