HANNAH STONE

If winter comes…

Shelley, ‘Ode to the West Wind’, and Jo Bell’s prompt from 52 of ‘an invitation’

Enough prevarication; you’re needed here.

Of course, travel plans can change, due to factors

beyond our control, but please show willing;

at least book a flight. Sometimes Day

doesn’t bother getting up at all;

just slumps under the cloud duvet,

pissing drizzle into his pjs,

too damned lazy to stir.

He needs you to sound the alarms –

the blackbird at 6am; robin at 6.15;

remind him there are targets to meet –

a minimum of seven and a half hours

of eyes open, before passing out to the Night Shift.

Spring, stop playing for time; please send your ETA.    

First snowfall

Last night’s snow deploys its double cunning –

unfurling time to re-find childish glee,

whilst simultaneously releasing light

as if a lid were lifted off a box

containing not Pandora’s evil gifts

but possible encounters with new joys.

With drink in hand, the visitor reclines

on lonely sofa (or is it soap box),

dispensing wisdom to his boomer mum

to whom he has entrusted recipes

for shakshuka, orange and almond cake,

along with other nuggets of advice;

it’s obvious what we should do today:

eat cake, drink coffee, and build a snowman.

Hannah Stone is the author of Lodestone (Stairwell Books, 2016), Missing Miles (Indigo Dreams Publishing, 2017), Swn y Morloi (Maytree Press, 2019) and several collaborations, including Fit to Bust with Pamela Scobie (Runcible Spoon, 2020). She convenes the poets/composer’s forum for Leeds Leider, curates Nowt but Verse for Leeds Library, is poet theologian in Virtual Residence for Leeds Church Institute and editor of the literary journal Dream Catcher. Contact her on hannahstone14@hotmail.com for readings, workshops or book purchases.

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