Page 44 - Microsoft Word - 1_light travels_FOR FLIPBOOK ADJUSTED.docx

POCKETFUL OF BERRIES
Where you sat smoking under the open skylight while sketching my smalls hung out to dry
in a creaky room in Kirkcudbright,
we heard the call of Hadrian’s wall.
At dawn we bundled into a taxi,
incidental roommates at an arts fest
joining a photographer on his one-day quest.
First stop the neighbouring village –
stocked up on oats crunchies and camera batteries and precariously perched,
I peed in the brambles behind your backs
outside the misty co-op shop,
while you kept watch awaiting the bus.
Somewhere further south
after crossing the English border
an oncoming driver (texting while driving)
skidded round a corner, peeled off the bus bumper... veered off into a tree. We bundled out.
All got off lightly,
and I delighted in my find of rowan berries –
I had wished for a while to find these fruits
with magical properties.