This is exactly what I want
This is exactly what I want:
(though I didn’t know it)
5 inches of silence
the recluse’s delicacy
a softing down
cold and geometry fretworking
into a slow lattice
an excuse for feeling
the creak of earth
beneath you
hydrangea heads shudder
under caps of white.
The history of snow fall
and snow melt
here in the dimpling surrey hills
can be navigated by
the ancient smell of coal-driven steam
and the secret trickle of water through chalk
bubbling back up at a spring
heavy with minerals.
Fat edible snails
with cream white shells
are camouflaged now
and whether I’m still thinking of you
still still thinking
of you
or whether I’m beating cheesecake
with a wooden spoon
being snowed-in
instructs time to be easy.
Ella Chappell recently graduated from the Creative Writing Masters in Poetry at the University of East Anglia. Her work has appeared in various places including Elbow Room, Badrobot Poetry, and 17 Poets. This poem is taken from her latest series ’99 poems in 99 days’, which can be followed on her blog