Night Out
a flower is not a heron
does not stand on one leg
spear-billed over golden carp
does not rise on wide wings
neck curving into the blue
flight like a slow heartbeat
a heartbeat is not a flight
does not lift a wary body
translate a girl into a bird
a bird is not a girl
does not freeze
at a rough shout
does not run
down a dark street, her hand
a key-bladed hedgehog
does not endure
the instruction to understand
she was asking for it
Andrea Small is a multi-disciplinary artist. She has an MA in Poetry from MMU; her poetry has been published in journals and anthologies. Andrea lives in Sheffield, believes that we can all sing, and is learning to be a clown.www.andreasmall.co.uk