Next To You
A cold, violet light
at end of day; this
season is ragged with
wonders. A fine, black
net of starless sky,
the flight of geese,
the song of the lapsing
fire. The way you
move, when I am
next to you, you
stranger in my loved-
one’s clothes, you
steadfast stranger: how
could I know you?
Then you speak, your
speech a flame,
a fire, and in your
speech I hear the
timbre of the man
I am bound to.
Anna Govier was born in 1982 and lives in South West Scotland. She has previously been published in Southlight and Doll Hospital Journal, and was the poetry editor for Doll Hospital Journal. Her first collection Our Wildest Notion was published by Listen Softly press in late 2018, but it is now out of print. Anna intends to resubmit the book to a different publisher in 2020. She is currently studying with The Open University towards a BA degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.