A Moment to Tell You
The last few ends of rain
wear out on a window.
A bird with no reason to stop
rushes past wet leaves,
the many colours of dust
sagging. Even the grass
is heavy with apples.
I smell through the glass,
just as I hear
you breathing through the walls
of this quiet house,
watch ink slowly
permeate a page
where I tell you I love you,
at this distance that is just
no distance at all.
Carolyn Oulton is Professor of Victorian Literature and Programme Lead for Creative and Professional Writing at Canterbury Christ Church University. Her most recent collection Accidental Fruit is published by Worple Press. Her website is at carolynoulton.co.uk