the man who held your heart in his hands
did he have……. a……. steady touch?
did he handle it ………….like a flower
or…. a grounded…………. fledgling?
was it….. a butter-block…………melting
in his palms? or did he ………..not need
such metaphors? ………..did he. believe
it could be fixed?……… did he …….know
how many times it had been….. broken?
did he feel its……… fitful ………rhythm
quivering …….like down…… between
his fingers? ……..was it ……….the first
or one of many feathers…… in his… cap?
did he imagine how much it loved me?
did he fear….. its beat…… would….. stop?
…
Natalie Scott is an internationally published poet and Creative Writing lecturer. Her latest award-winning collection Rare Birds – Voices of Holloway Prison, published by Valley Press on International Women’s Day, 2020, received ACE funding for a West End performance.
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