Inside no. 1
Updated: May 10, 2021
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