Inside no. 1

Inside number one

fragrances curl

lifting the spirit of the badger in her den

lowering the awareness of the eagle,

steady in her jet like path, dark against coral blue

she is a rodent in the grasslands

she is a cricket folding into the hills

this is how she

becomes her prey

hunting as an actor

takes to the stage

Inside number one

a family chimes a major chord

a rhyme at christmas

the children fight again and then play again

and everyone grows older by the minute

ageing as an infant

shares her first words

Inside number one

the ornaments vibrate when voices are raised

they listen to the cherry madonna

carving apples into fine slices

they continue to shake as the oesophagus settles

dissolving remnant energy

as a mirror refracts the sun

Inside number one

the world, the stars, the dreams

the voice, the page, the planets

the internet hums the collective knowledge

death folding itself into life

Inside number one

the passengers alight

bright eyes

the suitcases still have their labels on

hope cup brimming over

as a heart beats in time with another

it breaks and opens

inside everyone

everything and nothing

Inside number one

photo by Hermione Sylvester