Devil’s bridge
Follow me,
tie your tongue and leave
the words at the car.
I know you want to say them
but I need you to fill
your lungs
with my apologies,
just breathe them in
slowly.
Find me amongst birch,
alder and aspen.
Help me grind myself
into the soil,
so it replaces cuticles
seeps through pores.
Listen to the silence
and revel in the breaking of it.
The water rushing over rocks,
ledges and lost
belongings.
Threaten to push me through
tired rope
into rock pools and foam.
No, hold me;
we are only here for a day.
Kayleigh Campbell is a PhD Researcher at Huddersfield University and Editorial Assistant for Stand Magazine. She was commended for the Geoff Stevens Prize and her debut pamphlet Keepsake is published by Maytree Press. Website: kayleighcampbell.co.uk