Filled in a beautiful wooden box,
with a neatly printed ticket in the corner,
placed in a paper bag
with your brown Aztec collar.

I didn’t have the heart to say
they spelt your name wrong,
a lot of people probably would have

but I was too taken by the hairs
stuck in the inner fabric of the collar.
Only two, but white and perfect,
alive and pert,

the scent of leather,
a whisper of bones and biscuit,

and the surprising weight of you.

Selected byRaymond Huffman
Image credit:AI-generated by Open Arts Forum
Michael Ashley

Michael Ashley is a poet who lives in Spain. Focusing on straightforward simple poetry, the sharp and accessible type!

 

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