Burning the Years

Lay down the worst ones –
raze them like swathes
of heather on the moor.

So what if there’s a dead patch.
Remember the havoc
unfettered fire makes –

flames twirl along the ridge,
tumble down the gorge.
Unbreathable heat and ash.

So burn those years
till there’s a dead plot of earth
and disaster’s spurned.

Behind you – safe beds of moss.
Ahead – untouched mounds
of rush like stepping stones.

Spin in the steam and smoke,
jump on the blackened years
sprung like a dance hall floor.

Kate Hendry‘s poems have been widely published in magazines, including PN Review, The Rialto and Poetry Wales. Her first pamphlet, The Lost Original, was published by Happenstance Press. Her second, MX SIMP (Mariscat Press) was shortlisted for the 2023 Michael Marks Awards.