Ghosts
dry rot, damp and musty airlessness
conjure up ghosts that even dogs can see
drifts of blue under green leaves bear a whiff
of young romance in maytime long ago
sunlit cafés in foreign city squares
waft in on the aroma of fresh coffee
a gas leak in the pavement
drags me back to a reluctant
visit to those chambers
where I once smelled evil
Alwyn Marriage’s ten books include poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Formerly university lecturer and CEO of two NGOs, she’s Managing Editor of Oversteps Books and research fellow at Surrey University. She gives poetry readings and workshops in Britain and abroad. Website: http://www.marriages.me.uk/alwyn/