REVISION
Sunlight slips past the shade and gilds the dust into fairy charms I ache and make wish upon wish to hold you forever here in my arms.
A mother’s heart is a bird in prison with wings that shudder its cage of bone. Feel, Child, feel them beating hard and closely to your own.
Now’s time for prayer and time for bed. You giggle, I laugh and I reach for your hair but you hurry away from my hollow hand up to the room at the top of the stair.
I open the door and turn on the light ...there’s no head on the pillow...nothing...no mark. No sign of you Child...for no-one has been inside my womb in the crabscuttled dark.
ORIGINAL
Sunlight slips past the shade and gilds the dust into fairy charms I ache and make wish upon wish to hold you forever here in my arms.
A mother’s heart is a bird in prison. A frantic shudder in a cage of bone. Feel, Child, feel it beating hard and closely to your own.
Now’s time for prayer and time for bed. You giggle, I laugh and I reach for your hair but you hurry away from my hollow hand up to the room at the top of the stair.
I open the door and turn on the light ...there’s no head on the pillow...nothing...no mark. No sign of you Child...for no-one has been inside my womb in the crabscuttled dark.
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