A mouthful of stones
The sister I don’t have
has pockets bulging
with silver-foiled chocolate
and popping candy, rustling-
wrapped strawberry surprises
and infinite packets
of unopened love hearts.
She leaves me the pocket
full of stones, ones my mum
won’t be able to smooth
to marble or polish like sea glass.
Ones my dad will throw
to the waves in hope,
only for them to sink
instead of skim.
My parents will weigh me down
with rocks to stop
my flying off too.
I’ll learn to weigh myself
against her
and kiss the cold water.
Sarah James/Leavesley is a prize-winning poet, fiction writer, journalist and photographer. Latest collections include Darling Blue (Indigo Dreams), an ekphrastic book-length poetry narrative which won the Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize 2024, and Blood Sugar, Sex, Magic (Verve Poetry Press). Website: http://www.sarah-james.co.uk.