Pact
The lawn’s carpeted with yellow leaves.
Gardeners on a mission, we rake them
into doubloon mounds. The air is sharp and clear.
In the sky I hear a distant plane. Closer by,
the sounds of children’s voices.
Our eyes meet. No need for words.
I hold this closeness fast,
know that winter’s on its way.
I’d sell my soul to make this moment last.
Susan Castillo Street is Harriet Beecher Stowe Professor Emerita, King’s College London. She has published three collections of poems, The Candlewoman’s Trade (Diehard Press, 2003), Abiding Chemistry, (Aldrich Press, 2015), The Gun-Runner’s Daughter, (Aldrich, 2018) and a pamphlet, Constellations (Three Drops Press, 2016). Her poem ‘Bird of God’ won first place in the 2018 Pre-Raphaelite Society Poetry Competition. Blog: www.thesalamanderandtheraven.