Hope by Susan Darlington

                         Jeff Ruane CC



HOPE

The daughter that I never bore
has got lips the colour of the blood
I shed every cycle.

She’s got skin that’s been cut
from the cold white sheets
on which I lie every night

and her hair is dark as the loam
in which I scatter seeds so I can watch
green shoots struggle for life.

Her name is on the tip of my tongue
in the beat between when you ask
if I have children and I answer ‘no’.

She remains innocent to the family traditions
I found, which are in my blood yet shared
with my laughter lines alone.

And her hand slips away from mine
when my comb is tangled in silver
and when there is no next month.

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Susan Darlington is a poet and arts journalist based in West Yorkshire, UK. Her work regularly explores the female experience through nature-based symbolism and stories of transformation. It has been published in the UK and US (Fragmented Voices, Algebra Of Owls, Runcible Spoon, and Gypsy Art Show among others). Her debut collection, ‘Under The Devil’s Moon’, was published by Penniless Press Publications in 2015. 

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