Still Here
I bet you didn’t think you’d make it
this far, what with the noise in your
head turned up to neighbours ringing
the police, the shower a hissing beast
and the cat’s sick something to step
over or else completely avoid. The list
goes on, but so do you.
Remember when we made a journey
in flipped coins, pit-stopped for sugared
worms and let them hang from our
mouths like a promise? Or when
we slept under the bed just because,
fuzzy knees tuned into each other,
and we chose the animal we’d most like
to become, and you said a dog ‘cause
they’re happy to just leave the house
and have a wee? That list goes on, too.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that
you’re still here, and there’s still so
many cats hedge-blinking and waiting
for your squeak. Plus, think of all the lists
you still need to write, like your best
places in Manc to buy olive bread from, and
tips for when you feel anxious
at work. ‘Cause if you don’t write them,
I can’t poke fun at but secretly love
them, for what they say about you.
Rhianne holds an MA in Creative Writing from The University of Manchester. She adores music, animals and eating, in no particular order. She thinks humans are wonderfully weird. You can find more of her poetry and general musings over at rhianne-writes.tumblr.com.
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